Break Away
by JacktheSinister JaketheJust
Summary: Evan is nothing to Mike anymore, but he just can't let go. Jake is Evan's best friend who harbors a deep secret. Will Jake get Evan to break away from his and Mike's dismal relationship? Re-uploaded!
1. Pain

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything/anyone that is mentioned in this fic. It is purely fiction and does not represent the thoughts or feelings of anyone mentioned. Thank you for reading.**

**Edit:** This is a RE-UPLOAD. I apologize to those that really enjoy this fic that have reviewed before, they did delete those as well but I do have the originals backed up in my email box so I will be able to reply to the ones for the last chapter, because I can't remember what the others said.

For those wondering, the reason that "Break Away" was deleted by the admins was because I violated one of the upload rules were the summary has to be K as well. I didn't realize that I had broken this rule until they had contacted me saying that they had deleted it. I'm sorry everyone for the flood of old chapters into your emails. I just wanted to put it back up for the people that enjoyed it.

Also, the Author Notes at the bottom are old and I don't plan on taking them off, so if there are any new viewers this is an old fic (At least 2 years) and those notes are just as old. Thank you everyone for understanding.

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_**Pain**_

Evan looked around the room, his head hurting from the pounding he'd just received from his lover. He sighed, sitting up on the couch with a frown. He didn't understand why he'd gotten so bad, why every time they were together he just seemed to hurt him more and more especially during sex. He sighed, he'd only fallen in bed with him once and it led into a deformed fucked up relationship that he was reliving over and over again. "Damn," he whispered, shivering in the coolness of the hotel room. He stood, his hips aching as he tried to find his cell phone.

He looked all over the room, finally finding it under the hotel's bed, unsure of how it flew that far but not completely surprised, after all he was thrown into the room, his things ripped away and tossed around the room before he was shoved down on the couch and into another sexcapade of his current lover.

He tapped on the screen a few times, falling into the bed as it rang.

"Hello?" a deep voice answered, a laugh following. "Ev?" His voice got soft. "You alone?"

Evan made an attempt to say yes. "385," he whispered, throat raw from screaming. "Marriott."

"I'll be there in a few, let me ditch Kofi and Gail first," the man whispered, trying hard to comfort Evan through the phone. "Unlock the door."

Evan whimpered in response before hearing the other man hang up. He pushed himself to his feet, taking the comforter from the bed and wrapping it around himself. He made his way back to the hotel door and unlocked it. He unlatched it so all the man had to do was push the door open before going back to the couch and falling onto it, careful not to smack his head against the wooden arm.

Only minutes later the door was being shoved open and there stood a tall blond, sweat glistening his on his forehead, breathing heavy. "Ev?" he asked, shutting the door and locking it with the chain to keep out any interruptions. He walked over to the small man's side and sat on the floor next to the couch. "How bad was it?" His voice was calm, soothing to Evan, as was his hand on the smaller man's cheek.

"It hurts Jake," he whispered, looking deep into the concerned eyes of the All American American. "It hurts so bad." Tears entered his eyes as he crawled into Jack's arms, wishing the pain away.

Jake sighed, holding Evan close to him there in the middle of the floor of the suit Evan and his lover were sharing. "Where is he?" he asked, rocking from side to side to calm the younger man.

"Don't know," he whispered, voice going slightly hoarse. "Probably chasing after John again. He hasn't given up on him since they broke up."

"Hennigan doesn't want anything to do with him though. He's with Phil, isn't he?" he asked, stroking the dark hair softly, Evan breathing softer into his long sleeved shirt.

Evan nodded, feeling safe enough to doze. "It's Mike, he won't give up," he explained, pressing his nose into the crook of Jake's neck. "That's why I'm just a fuck toy to him now."

Jake growled, holding Evan tighter to him. "You're not a fuck toy Ev. Not to everyone," he said, looking down into the tear filled orbs. "You need to leave him for someone who actually cares."

Evan tried to chuckle. "Like who Jake? Who? Matt and I broke up because we couldn't see each other and he moved on to someone else. Greg and I were just a fling. Ted was a joke and now Mike. I don't really think anyone is going to touch me now," he cried, pulling away as tears started falling fast down his cheeks as his voice got deeper. His throat ached, begging not to be used.

Jake sighed, pulling Evan back into his arms. He couldn't tell him that he wanted to be the one with him. It would seem too convenient, too easy. "I don't know Ev. Just someone that's not him," he said finally, hugging Evan tightly. "I don't want to see you hurt anymore."

"Then stop power bombing me in the ring," Evan retorted, smiling when Jake looked down at him in shock. He knew Jake didn't hurt him intentionally but their little feud had to keep going until they got better known. He'd known Jake for an extended time while they were in ECW and they had started a friendship, a close friendship that brought them closer than brothers.

"I'll stop power bombing you when you stop helping out little Dylan with Chavo," he joked, earning a slight glare from the smaller man. "Just kidding Ev, just kidding." He held Evan closer to him, feeling content just being Evan's comfort, his go to guy, his best friend.

"How are you and Nikki?" Evan asked after a few moments of comfortable silence. He looked up into Jake's eyes with a curious smile.

"Okay, I guess," he replied, shrugging. Him and Nikki Bella had been dating for about a month and Jake had found that he had no real interest in her. He was more involved with Evan and his problems than her and her sister. She wasn't important to him and as much as he hated to admit it: he found Evan to be cuter.

Jake hated that he wanted to be with Evan as badly as he did. Evan was his best friend, his companion, his brother, but as of late he wanted to be the one protecting Evan, touching him, kissing him, sleeping with him. He wanted it all. He wanted Evan.

"I hope you two stay together," Evan whispered, pulling away from Jake and standing. "She's sweet."

Jake sighed, watching as Evan's little body walked away and into the next room of the suite. "Ev?" he questioned, biting his lower lip as he stood and walked after the other man.

"I'm just in the bathroom," Evan called, laughing slightly trying to ignore the pain. "I was just saying because she's what you want: cute, smart, funny, likes sports, loves wrestling, complete sweetheart. I hope is lasts."

Jake groaned, standing just outside the closed door. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he mumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. He looked over the room, Evan's things thrown around, a lap knocked over by the bed, a red spot on the carpet.

Moving closer, Jake noticed that it was blood on the white pristine carpet. He started to breathe heavy, heart thudding in his chest. "Evan!" he barked, turning back to the door and throwing it open, showing the smaller man there with the blankets wrapped around his waist, a damp rag in his hands.

"Jake? What the hell are you doing?" he asked, the blankets being ripped away from him and a warm body against his front. "Jake…" He stiffened, warm fingers running over his bottom. Tears entered his eyes, knowing that his friend had seen the dried blood on his inner thighs and entrance.

Jake growled again, eyes moving over the pale skin, his fingers brushing over dark bruises and dried blood. He felt Evan's head sink into his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around the other man. "I'm going to take care of you Ev. No one is going to hurt you anymore."

Evan tried to protest, pushing against Jake as he was pulled into the bedroom. "Why do you care so much?" he asked angrily, yanking away from the steel hold on his wrist. "I've been dealing with this shit since we met and now you want to try and protect me? Go back to your girlfriend and leave me alone!" He was heaving, legs weak and shaking under him. He didn't want to be treated like a baby. He didn't want special treatment because he had it rough with his lover.

Jake sighed, turning his back to Evan. He knew he'd look the younger man up and down if he didn't at least turn so he couldn't see the nude glory of his friend. "Ev…" he started, rubbing his face with his hands before turning around and pulled Evan into his arms again. "I don't want to see you hurt. I never have."

Evan yanked himself out of Jake's arms, falling to the ground in his efforts. "Then stop looking!" he snapped, tears starting to enter his eyes and stream down his cheeks. "Just go back to Nikki…" His heart ached, he wanted to tell Jake how much he liked him, how much he loved their relationship but he didn't want to drive the other man away. "Just go away… please."

Jake's heart stopped. He'd never wanted to see Evan like this, or be in this situation. "Evan…"

"Just go!"

A deep fit of anger was starting to build in Jake's stomach and he growled as he pulled Evan up to his feet. "What if I don't want to Evan? What if I want to be by you? What if I'm only with Nikki because you told me I should try it? What if it's you I want to hold and kiss and be with but I haven't told you because I was scared it would push you away and you wouldn't want to see me anymore?" he yelled, holding Evan by his upper arm. It wasn't a rough hold or even half way uncomfortable but it was possessive. He was breathing hard, eyes focused on the surprised ones of his best friend.

Shock was evident on Evan's face as he stood there rigid in Jake's hands. He looked down at his bare feet, the tears falling harder as he went limp.

Jake caught the smaller man in his arms and led him to the bed. "Evan," he started, stroking the soft brown hair and giving the other man space. "I'm sorry." His voice was soft, calm now. He hadn't meant to yell how he felt at the top of his lungs at the other man.

Evan shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself. "Jake," he whimpered, turning to hide at least part of his still naked body.

"I should go."

Evan's heart ached with the words. He looking down at the disheveled pillows and tried to forget what had happened to make him call Jake. He wanted to say the same to Jake, tell him that he too wanted to be with the other man. "You don't want me," he finally said as Jake moved to get up. He chuckled soullessly.

Jake looked back at Evan, eyes wide. "What?"

"Look at my history." He looked up solemnly at Jake, their eyes locking. "They all fucked me Jake. I'm just the locker room whore now," he said, the tears just streaming. "Look at me. I'm just a toy for Mike to get off on. Why would you even think of wanting to be with me?"

It was Jake's turned to be shocked. How could Evan talk about himself like that? How could someone so sure of himself, so open, think that he was nothing but a common whore that was passed around the locker rooms? He turned fully to Evan and eased into a kneeling position, holding Evan's eyes the entire time.

Evan held back each gut-wrenching sob. His nostrils stung from his tears, as did his throat. He wasn't good enough for Jake. He wasn't anywhere good enough. He felt soft finger tips run over his bare hip as Jake moved closer to him, the heat between them increasing with every little bit they moved closer.

Jake looked away for only a moment before he wrapped his arms around the other man's waist and pressed his head to Evan's chest, listening to the increasing heartbeat. He felt the searing heat between them finally starting to fade and the stillness in the room deepen. "I'm not letting you go Evan. I don't care who you've been with or what you've done. I want to be with you because you're all I think about. You're the one I dream of at night," he whispered gently, bringing his hands up to cup Evan's face as he pulled away and looked into the dark orbs.

The room was silent, all except the small sob escaping Evan's lips as he fell into Jake's arms. His arms were wrapped tightly around Jake's neck as his sobbed into his shoulder. Everything Jake said was the opposite of Mike. It was gentle with him, loving while it was only a way to relive sexual frustration with Mike. He was just a fuck toy to the other man while he was actually someone to the man holding him.

"Come with me," Jake whispered, scooping Evan into his arms and standing. He smiled, the sweet weight in his arms wiggling just slightly.

Evan shook his head, looking down at his nakedness, the dried blood still evident on his thighs. He was still too dirty for Jake. "I'm dirty," he whimpered, squirming just enough for Jake to set him back down.

A smile spread across Jake's lips as he took Evan's hand in his and led him to the bathroom. "I'll clean you up," he said, earning a blush from the younger man. "I'll wash you clean."

Cover his face Evan shook his head again. "I'll manage Jake, please." He pushed hard to get Jake to leave the bathroom. "I'll take a shower and we can go out and talk about it all," he promised, smiling lightly. "I'll call you."

Jake sighed, reaching out to stroke Evan's cheek. "I'll be waiting for you," he said, turning and leaving Evan to his inner turmoil as he focused on how he was going to talk him into leaving Mike, even if it weren't for him. He didn't want to see Evan hurt anymore. He exited the suit, leaning against the door as he sighed again. "Dammit Ev."

The smile on Evan's lips fell as soon as he shut the door to the bathroom. He leaned against the door, locking it before letting another set of tears start to fall. "Jake," he sighed, thinking of the other man and his feelings.

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(A/N): So this was actually meant to be a one-shot but I guess I'm going to make it chaptered. I thought this up on a whim actually while I was watching RAW this week. So I hope that it's not terrible. The real reason I really wanted to do this is because of the match between Evan and Jack Swagger and just their height difference. It's an amazing thing. Lol. I'm glad a lot of people liked The Product of Betrayal with Mr. Ziggles and Jeff! I think I'll write another one with them later. Anyway. The fic title is Break Away by Staind and the chapter/song title is Pain by Three Days Grace.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	2. Always Dirty Never Clean

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

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_**Always Dirty, Never Clean**_

Evan sighed, the hot water caressing his skin as it ran over his shoulders, down his back, spiraled down between his legs and finally plummeted into the oblivion of the drain. His hands were holding him up as he leaned against the shower wall, just under the hard spray, so the water missed his head and ran straight onto his shoulders. He watched as the once clear water ran from the nozzle, down his skin, and finished its long trek, tinged a deep red, as it slipped down the drain.

"Damn," he whispered, rubbing his face with one hand and sighed. He couldn't just leave Mike even if Jake liked him. What proved that Jake was any different than any of the others? Matt had been the same way: gentle, loving, considerate, gentlemanly but it had all fell apart when Matt had been moved back to Smackdown and then during the draft he was moved to Raw, which was harder since ECW mostly toured with Smackdown. With the Donald Trump thing he'd seen that he was to be drafted to Raw and then Matt was moved to Smackdown, even though he was out from his surgery. Eventually, him and Matt had just lost the feeling of want for the other. They didn't talk and after enough time, Matt was the one to call him and say it was over.

Even tried to blink back the tears in his eyes. Every relationship ended the same way, he was hurt and the other person was happy. His relationship with Shane lasted for a little more than six months before he found out that Greg was dating him to get over his last love. Evan ended it after that, saying that Greg was a great guy but he didn't want to be used as a replacement. Ted DiBiase Jr. was a joke that poor kid didn't know what he wanted. He was married but had that itch of what was there on the other side of the fence and instead of having a side girlfriend, Ted had asked him if he would 'show him the ropes' of going with a guy. It was terrible, once they started spending time together all Ted would talk about was Cody or how he wasn't gay and wanted him to know that.

Even chuckled, remembering Ted and his first time of even trying anything. Ted had freaked out because Evan had tried to kiss him and fell off the couch, and once he'd gotten used to the idea of the kisses, he freaked out over Evan touching him over his clothes. He literally ran out the door with no shoes, no shirt, and completely flush.

Now he was with Mike. Their beginning was nice enough. Mike had been dating John off and on since their split but he wanted John completely. He was tired of the schedule, tired of the way their matches were. Mike wanted John completely even though their careers and schedules couldn't take it. They'd split for the last time and Evan had found Mike in their locker room, looking down at his phone, tears streaming down his lovely face. He'd comforted Mike, knowing that John had meant the world to him. And offered to take him out.

Mike was gentle after their night of drinking when they fell into bed. They'd woke the next morning with only a little awkwardness between them and they started dating. And it was like he was with Matt again until John had called and wanted him back, and Mike had said he was with Evan. John was upset and soon after started dating Phil and later told Mike that if he'd been available he was going to throw his career away for him so they could be together happily. That was when Mike started hitting Evan and the nights of gentle sex ended abruptly and started the daily ritual of fucking.

Evan hurt so much more than he would let on. He smiled so brightly at the fans, showing that there was nothing wrong in his world. He showed how kind he was to help out Dylan (Hornswaggle to the fans), even his resilience to how badly he was dominated by the bigger superstars. He hid his pain even from Mike. Evan just wanted to cling to someone that would be with him.

The shower was starting to get cold when he decided to get out finally. He looked down at himself, his skin so pale and dull, unlike his normal healthy glow. Bruises were all around his lower half, knowing they wouldn't be seen during his time he was in the ring, unless it was like last week and he was there for a whole five minutes. He grabbed the towel from the sink and wrapped it around his waist, ignoring his reflection.

"You look cute," a voice chirped.

Evan winced, looking back towards the sitting room of his and Mike's suite to see the man he was with. "Hey Mike," he whispered, turning to face the other man. "Have fun?"

Mike shrugged, saying, "Could've been better."

Evan nodded. "I was gonna go down and look at some of the shops," he said, looking around the room for his discarded suitcase. "So I didn't disturb you if you wanted to take a nap."

Mike smiled, he'd trained Evan well. "I didn't say you could go and you didn't ask," he whispered in a mock sweet voice. "You want to try again Evan?" He walked close to his boyfriend and took his chin in his hand and tightened roughly on the bones.

"C-could I go out t-to see the sh-shops so y-you can get a… a nap?" Evan asked, stuttering lightly, Mike's hand clamping down harder on him. "P-please Mike?"

Mike smiled, leaning in and brutally kissing Evan. "Not yet," he whispered roughly, tearing the towel off from around the small waist. "You have to help me get to sleep, then you can do whatever you want."

Evan didn't fight. He didn't even respond. He just let Mike take over his mouth with his tongue, hands all over his bare chest. He whimpered, Mike knowing how to get him hot. He took the other man's hand and led him to the disheveled bed, knowing there was no reason to try and make it up before that night. He laid down only to earn a hard slap to his hip. He whimpered, scooting over on the bed and turning over to his belly. Mike didn't like looking at him anymore, it was always like this, Evan noticed.

Mike growled, slapping one of the pale cheeks as hard as he could, leaving a burning red handprint.

Evan bit back a yelp.

"You used to like it when I hit you," Mike whispered in Evan's ear, slapping the other side just as hard. "Tell me you still like it."

Evan sucked his lower lip in his mouth, biting hard enough to draw blood that slowly seeped into his mouth. He wasn't going to bend, not this time.

"Say it!" He grabbed the back of Evan's hair and yanked him back, bringing his hand down hard on both bruised cheeks at once. "Say it like the little filthy slut you are!"

Evan shook his head, the tears already in his eyes as he thought of Jake. "N..no," he murmured, looking deep into the blue eyes with defiance. He wanted to be better, show Jake that him and Mike could work.

Mike only smiled, throwing Evan's face back towards the pillows as he took off his own clothes on his lower half. "Fine, you want to act like a high class little princess, I'll just have to take you don't a notch or two," he explained, once again bringing both hands on the red cheeks before spreading them and thrusting his hard cock into the abused hole.

Evan cried out, already feeling the healing tears inside open once again. "Mike!" he yelled, clawing at the pillows and headboard, trying to get away from the brutality. "Please, no more!"

A maniacal laugh emitted from Mike's throat as he continued to thrust in and out of Evan's body ruthlessly. "Why should I stop? You used to love it. You used to want more, over and over and over like a little slut, writhing and moaning crying out like the perfect little slut. God, Evan, it was so great to fuck you like this. He dug his dull nails deep into Evan's shoulders and drug them down to his hips, leaving long menacing red trails behind him.

Evan whined, burrowing his face in the pillow he was holding onto. He bit onto it, his fingers clutching it to cover his agonizing cries. "Mike!" he cried out, the tears he was holding in busting through as a sob wracked his small body and warmth filled him.

Mike groaned in pleasure. "Get out," he muttered, getting off of Evan and falling to the bed, pulling off the rest of his clothes and turning to his side, ready for a nap.

Evan sighed, his ass aching and stinging still stuck up in the air. He tried to move, his body aching. He would need another shower, he knew. He got up to weak legs, walking back towards the bathroom, ignoring the high-pitched snores of the other man. He looked into the mirror, noticing the angry nail marks and sighed. He was going to have to sit out the next week or else someone was going to see them. He got back into the shower and turned on the water, finding that it hadn't warmed much since his last one. He hurried as quickly as he could with his shower, trying not to think of the concern that he was going to get from Jake when he limped down to meet him. He sighed, getting out of the freezing shower and drying off. He snuck into the quiet room, looking for his suitcase and rummaging for clothes, hoping not to disturb Mike. He found some clothes and pulled them on, grabbing his key card from the table next to the door and running back to get his forgotten cell and scurried out.

Once in the safe haven of the hallway, Evan sighed, smiling triumphantly that he had made it out without getting smacked around. He was thankful that Mike just wanted some and went to sleep because some nights could be worse than others and he would just slap him around for no reason. He looked down at his hands, both shaking but holding his phone. He looked at it, his smile fading with the text messages that were waiting for him.

Ev, I'm waiting down in the lobby

_It's been an hour Ev. Are you coming down?_

_Ev?_

Evan sighed, knowing that Jake wasn't the most patient person in the world, but it had been almost an hour and a half since they had split. He dialed the number and held the phone to his ear and waited.

"Evan?" a female voice asked, chuckling lightly on the other end.

Evan's heart started to race. Nikki had answered Jakes' phone, meaning she was with him.

"Nikki, give it back," Jake whined in the background.

"H-hey. I was just wondering what Jake was up to," he said, leaning against the wall before looking down at his feet.

"Oh, we're eating across the street at the little café, you wanna join us?"

Evan tried not to let the build up of tears over take his voice. "No thanks, you guys have fun. Just tell Jake, we'll catch up later. Ok?" he asked, a tear slipping down his cheek. "Yeah. Bye Nikki." He hit the end button and sighed out loud, slipping down the wall, his back burning from the material of his shirt rubbing against his scrapes. He tried to ignore it as he buried his face in his hands.

Minutes passed and after the last tear left his eye, Evan looked up, the hallway still as empty as before. He stood, looking around before looking at his phone as it shook with another message.

_Evan, please come over. Nikki just showed up and she's leaving in a few._

Evan sighed, shaking his head. He wasn't going to get between the two, not even after what Jake had said. Jake needed someone that wasn't like him, wasn't so dirty. He looked over the message again and sighed, deleting all of them.

Evan took a deep breath and walked down the long corridor, looking for the stairs. He just needed time to himself, how many people actually took the stairs? He opened the door and started the long trek down, his mind in every direction other than where he was. He walked slowly down the three flights of stairs and stopped on the last step, hand on the rail. He looked at the plain fire door, the dark wood panel nothing unusual.

The door opened, showing a couple that seemed more interested in each other's mouths than where they were going. They pulled apart and hurried past Evan, not giving him a second thought.

Evan felt tears in his eyes again, he'd been that way once with Mike. He opened the door into the jubilant lobby feeling the warmth caress him. He tried to smile, leaving the building and walking down the street. He didn't know where he was going to go or where his feet were going to take him. He looked behind him, hoping that Jake hadn't seen him leave the hotel. He turned back to the street and the setting sun. "Fuck," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his chest, realizing all too late that he hadn't grabbed a jacket.

He shivered as he found a little street shop with little silver trinkets and jewelry. He smiled at the little male keeper and then around at the cart. He spotted two necklaces, both intertwined showing they were a pair. They were plain silver, a silver circular pendant hanging from the petite chain. Automatically he thought of Jake, and how it would look great on him. "Hey uh, how much for these?" he asked, looking around the stand to talk to the little man playing solitaire with some old cards.

The little man walked to the other side squinted at the necklaces before looking Evan up and down. "Thirty dollars even," he said, looking up at Evan with a smile.

Evan smiled back, looking at the necklaces. "You sure? They look a lot more expensive than that," he tried to bargain, not wanting to pretty much steal that man's jewelry.

"Thirty and they're all yours," he said again, walking to the other side again to his card game.

Evan dug in his pants pockets, knowing that he didn't have his wallet with him but he'd hoped that he'd grabbed his jeans from before that he had stuffed some loose cash in. He smiled, pulling out two twenties. "Keep the change," he said, handing them to the man.

The man shrugged his shoulders, giving up on arguing with the young man in front of him. He took the necklaces from the hook they were on and placed them both in two different boxes. "Most shops can do engravings too," he said, placing them in a little plastic bag and handing them to Evan. "Have a nice evening sir."

Evan nodded, looking down at the two boxes. "Thank you," he said, turning to leave, thinking of how nice it would look wrapped around Jake's neck. He stopped, thinking of what he'd just done. If he took them back to the hotel room Mike would think it was for him, and he would be upset if it wasn't. He had to see Jake now, at least give him the necklace.

"Something wrong?" the shopkeeper asked, leaning back in his chair.

Evan shook his head. "No, I'm fine, thanks," he said smiling. He walked back towards the hotel, unsure of how he was going to just give Jake this necklace and walk away. He sighed, looking forward, the little diner across the street from the hotel coming into view. He walked up to it, seeing Nikki still sitting there across from Jake, both chatting. He bit his lower lip, opening the door and stepping in. The warmth from the diner caressed Evan's skin, making him shiver.

"Evan!" Nikki yelped, waving him over. "Hey! I didn't think you were gonna come over." She smiled warmly at Evan, giving up her seat to him and sitting next to Jake and grabbing his arm. "I'm glad you came over."

Evan walked over to their booth and sat down. He tried not to look at Jake. "Yeah, I was out walking around that's all," he said, faking a smile.

"Without a jacket?" Jake asked, looking over Evan, sure that something had happened after he had left. "It's pretty cold out there."

"It's ok really," Evan explained quickly. "I needed the walk anyway." He set his bag next to him, hoping that Nikki would leave sometime soon so he could give Jake his and he could leave.

"Get something special for someone?" Nikki asked, eyeing the plastic bag. "Something for someone's birthday?" He was trying to hint to Mike's birthday that was coming up fast.

Evan paled. He'd forgotten about Mike's birthday coming up. "Not exactly, it's for my mom back home," he lied, clasping his hands over the table. "She likes little trinkets and stuff."

"Coffee for ya?" a waitress asked, almost just randomly popping up out of nowhere. She gave a warm smile to Evan, whipping out a note pad.

"Just some hot tea if you have any," he said politely, smiling back. "Thanks."

The waitress nodded and left, winking at him.

"You're sure a ladies man Evan, no wonder all the girls want you," Nikki said, taking Jake's hand in hers.

Evan looked down at his hands. He gave a chuckle to fit in with the giggling Nikki but inside he was a mess. He didn't care about other women.

"Oh, look at the time, I better catch up with Brie! I'll see you back at the hotel?" Nikki asked Jake, earning a nod. She smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek and waving at Evan before running off. "Nice seeing you."

Evan waved back, smiling softly. He knew she was a nice girl, even if he did have feelings for her boyfriend.

Jake sighed, picking up his cup of hot cocoa. "I didn't think you were gonna make it over here," he said softly, looking down at Evan's hands. "You left without a coat again. You're gonna get sick doing that when you're still wet."

Evan nodded, knowing that Jake wasn't chastising him because he was upset, he was just worried. "I know," he whispered, looking over at the bag. "I don't plan on staying too long. I just wanted to give you this." He reached into the bag for one box and handed it to Jake. "It's girly to say BFF's but they were a pair."

Jake smiled, reaching across the table and touching the little box. He rested his hand on it, brushing Evan's lightly. "You can't stay at least for your tea?" he asked, pulling the small box towards him.

Evan looked up into the dark blue eyes for the first time he'd been there. "I…"

"Here you are sweetie," the waitress said, placing a hot mug right in front of Evan. "Here's some honey too. Now just tell me if you need anything else. I'll be more than happy to get it for you." She smiled before walking away after Evan had told her the tea would be enough.

Evan leaned back, wincing slightly at the pressure against the still angry marks from the plastic backrest.

Jake took a sip before looking down at the box. "Did you want me to open it here?" he asked, setting his cup down and holding it.

Evan shrugged. "It's what you want. I won't be able to wear mine," he whispered, pouring a dab of honey in his tea.

Jake sighed, leaning over the table and taking Evan's hand in his. "Listen to me Evan," he whispered between them. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but you don't have to stay with Mike. And you don't have to be with me. But please, you're getting hurt and it's hard to watch."

Evan shook his head. "I'm fine Jake. I really am, we'll go back to normal eventually," he said, believing somewhere deep down that Mike would be the man he loved again. "Open it."

Jake sighed, leaning back and taking the box gently in his hand. He opened it and smiled. His blue eyes glittered as he took it out of the box. "Evan, this is gorgeous," he whispered, looking it over then looking up at his best friend. "We should go get each other's names on them." He smiled wider, feeling like a little kid.

Evan smiled softly, looking down at his tea. "I defiantly wouldn't be able to wear it then," he whispered, looking over at the other box in the bag. He looked up into the glimmering blue eyes and was breath taken. Jake's eyes were so dark and beautiful, like deep sapphires. "Do you like it?"

Jake smiled, reaching across the table and resting a hand on Evan's. "Ev, I love it," he answered, giving him the best smile he could. "One day we'll wear them together."

Evan nodded, that made him smile. He looked outside and gasped, it was getting dark. Mike was going to kill him for being out so late. "I gotta go!" he said hurriedly, gulping down his tea and searching in his pockets for some extra cash.

Jake sighed. "Just go, I got it," he said, holding tight to the necklace in his hand. "We'll talk about everything later."

Evan gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry," he whispered, hurrying out his bag in hand.

"Me too," Jake whispered, leaning back and scooting down the booth as he watched Evan run back towards the hotel. He sighed, looking down at the necklace before putting it on. "Evan…"

* * *

(A/N): So I'm back! YAY! Writers block is going away. Lol. If you haven't read my newest little one-shot with Jack and Evan than just disregard that. Lol. So this chapter is so behind to be out. I'm sorry about that. I had it pretty much completely written and in the end I didn't like it so I scrapped it and started over. I will say this though: NeroAnne, Redsandman99, you guys are amazing! I don't know how you keep up with more than one fic at a time. I will say this, I don't think I'll be putting any new chaptered fics up until these are done! You ladies are amazing! So, Evan is deflecting and Jake doesn't know how to get Evan to talk to him. Poor Evan. Hope you are enjoying! Song title is Always Dirty, Never Clean by Anarbor.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	3. Rescue Plan

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 2**

* * *

_**Rescue Plan**_

Jake was gently fiddling with the necklace that Evan had gotten him. He sighed, walking through the halls of the hotel, knowing that it was his last night there before he went back home. He looked around, the few people walking around smiling to their companions. He growled in annoyance, thinking up a small plan that could get Evan away from Mike. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number he was sure would help him.

"Hello?"

"Eve, it's Jake," he said, walking briskly to his room and shutting his door. "I need to ask a favor. Could you meet me in my room later tonight?"

"I guess so. Jake, this isn't about Nikki is it?"

Jake chuckled. "Not at all. I'll be here all night, when you get a chance just drop by, I'm in 749."

"All right, I'll be there in about an hour."

"Thanks so much Eve, bye."

"Bye Jake."

Jake smiled, sitting down on his bed and leaning back. Somehow he was going to help Evan. He was tired of seeing him hurt. "I hope you agree to this Eve, I really do," he whispered to no one as he waited.

Eve stood outside Jake's door a little unnerved. She felt odd going to one of her good friends boyfriend's room without telling her. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

Jake opened it quickly, hurrying her inside. He shut the door and smiled at her. "What I'm going to tell you can't leave this room," he stated, offering her a spot on the couch.

Eve nodded, unsure if she really wanted to know what the bigger man really needed from her. "Okay?"

"You know Evan and Mike are dating, right?" he asked, earning a slow nod. "Mike pretty much beats the hell out of him because he's not Hennigan. And since they are redoing 'The Dirt Sheet' it's only going to make things worse. I need your help to get Evan away from him."

"What do you want me to do?" Eve asked, a little upset that she'd never noticed that Evan was getting abused. She loved him like a little brother.

Jake smiled. "Eve you're a godsend," he whispered, going into detail of his plan, gaining approving nods from Eve.

* * *

Evan whimpered in pain, trying to move around the bed. He pulled away from Mike's possessive embrace and struggled with standing. He thought about how it happened again.

_Evan knew he was in trouble just as soon as he opened the door and those high-pitched snores weren't heard anymore. He swallowed hard around a lump in his throat and stepped in, hiding the bagged necklace in his suitcase before wondering into the bedroom. He put on a fake smile as he stepped in and saw Mike there, sitting on the bed still stark naked with a book in his lap. "I hope you weren't waiting too long," he managed to get out before he started to shiver._

_Mike snorted in response. "Why are you late?" he asked, looking up from his book._

"_I was across the street at the diner with Nikki," he replied, smiling a bit wider. He wasn't lying but if he brought up Jake he knew that it was going to be a long night._

_This seemed to anger Mike more than Evan thought._

"_So, trying to pick up that fucker's girlfriend huh? Trying to get rid of me?" Mike asked, throwing his book to the side before getting up and grabbing Evan before throwing him onto the bed._

Evan didn't want to remember the rest, his lower half aching. He was glad that he had a few days to rest until Monday but he wasn't sure he was going to be able to wrestle at all. He walked around the room to get his clothes. He pulled them over his sore body and grabbed his phone. He looked back at Mike and thought of Jake and how worried he was. He tried to smile as he walked out of the room and down the hall. He would tell Mike that he just wanted something to drink if he woke up before he got back.

The hall was rather warm considering that it was in the early morning hours.

Evan sighed, wondering where he could go for a few hours to at least relax for a little while before he went back to St. Louis. He walked around the hotel and sighed once he was at the door he knew. He started to walk away, trying to find comfort in some other place. He didn't want to disturb Jake. He walked down the hall and took the elevator up. He stopped two floors up and smiled when he saw the door to another good friend of his. He walked up to it and knocked lightly.

There was rustling from the inside before a stumble of feet and the click of locks before the door swung open and a tired looking woman stood there half held up by the door. "Evan?" she asked, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the sleepy blur. "What are you doing walking around at this hour?"

Evan looked down at his feet, unsure of what time it was or why he'd decided to bother someone so late. "I'm sorry, I'll go," he whispered, turning away.

Eve shook her head, reaching out and taking Evan's arm in her hand. "C'mon in Evan. You look terrible," she said, pulling him in gently. "Let me just wake up a little. I'm gonna put on some coffee, you want some too?"

Evan nodded, blinking when the light was turned on. He sat down on the couch with extreme carefulness. He was hurting bad but he needed to sit. "Eve?" he asked, leaning back. He let out a comfortable sigh and smiled when Eve came back, her black silk robe wrapped around her slim frame.

"Yeah sweety?" she asked, sitting next to him and taking a hand in hers.

"Thank you."

Eve smiled, pressing a kiss to Evan's cheek. "For what?"

"For being my big sister and best friend at the same time."

Eve chuckled, easing Evan to rest his head in her lap She stroked his hair back, holding his smaller frame closer to her. "Just rest for a while," she whispered, humming slightly.

Evan looked up at Eve, his hands taking one of hers into his. "Could I tell you a secret?" he asked, curling closer to Eve's body.

"Anything."

"You won't tell anyone will you?" he asked, afraid that his secret would get out.

"Not on my life, cross my heart," she promised, taking her free hand and making an 'x' over her heart. "What's on your mind?"

"I don't want Nikki to know. I know she's your best friend." He stopped, looking at their clasped hands. "He's my best friend and I know that it's wrong but I want him. I've wanted Jake since we've met but I don't want to ruin our friendship. He doesn't need someone like me Eve. My life is a mess. I'm completely useless," he whimpered, tears starting to fill his eyes before streaming down to dampen Eve's robe.

"Hey, hey now. Don't talk like that Evan," Eve gently chastised, resting her hand on his head. "You're just fine. Jake would be lucky to have someone like you Evan."

Evan shook his head, sighing. "I'm not good enough Eve. He deserves someone clean, perfect," he murmured, his eyelids drooping. He was getting so tired.

"Evan babe," Eve soothed, running her fingers through his hair again. "You're so much better than you think." She let him cry softly before he dozed off. "He cares about you so much Evan. He really does." She started to hum again, feeling sorry for Evan. She looked up towards the rest of the room and sighed, feeling just as sorry for Jake. She only hoped this plan worked.

* * *

Evan woke hours later feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time. He sat up from his spot on the couch and yawned, looking around the room to find that it wasn't his hotel room. His mind struggled through the night before he groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Shit," he whimpered, his head pounding with memories. "Can't believe I came here."

Evan stood slowly, his back aching only half as much as his hips. He groaned, stumbling slightly before catching himself on the edge of the couch arm. He looked around, finding the woman he'd stayed with asleep in her hotel bed. He smiled at her, her caramel hair draped so elegantly over her chocolate face. She wasn't just beautiful she was angelic. He turned, looking over the room, finding his phone next to the couch he had been sleeping on. He walked over and picked it up, thinking he should at least write Eve a note saying that he was leaving. He looked for a pen and paper and scribbled a short note before leaving and going back to his own room. He slid his card through the electronic lock and smiled, the room was clean and nowhere in sight were Mike's things. He sighed in relief and began looking around for his own things. He packed his suitcase and as soon as he was done he dug out his little bag with the matching necklace Jake had. He smiled wide, putting it on.

A knock came at the door, causing Evan to jump from his relaxed silence.

He hurried over and opened the door to be face to face with the blond who had the matching necklace to his own. "Hey," he said, smiling slightly, remembering his confession to Eve the night before.

Jake ruffled Evan's hair. "Ready for some breakfast?" he asked, smiling wide, his eyes focusing on the silver necklace around Evan's neck and making him happier.

Evan looked up at Jake, unsure if it would be ok that they went out, after all he didn't know how long before Mike had left. "I... uhh…"

"Nope! I'm taking you out to breakfast. You didn't eat dinner last night so lets go!" he chirped, taking Evan's hand and leading him around to find his actual outside shoes before dragging him down to the lobby.

Evan pulled his arm back gently, stopping him and Jake just before the doors to the outside. "Where are we going?" he asked, giving Jake a hopeless grin.

Jake thought for a second shrugging. "Anywhere that has steak. I'm dying for a home fashion breakfast, steak, eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns, sausage, pancakes, maybe some waffles," he listed, his stomach growling at him in response.

"You eat so much," Evan sighed, thinking that he wouldn't be able to even eat a quarter of what Jake had listed out.

"I'm from Oklahoma Evan, there isn't much to do there but eat and work," Jake reminded Evan, sure that he'd told the other man this numerous times before. "C'mon I'm dyin for something to eat, lets hit up that one restaurant down the street, Redwheel I think it was called."

Evan chuckled, following Jake out into the cool morning. Once there and seated he looked around the place, finding that it was like a small Ma and Pop diner. He smiled when he looked at the menu, thinking that some toast and maybe some hash browns would be nice.

Jake smiled at the little waitress that stopped to take their order after a few moments. "Yeah could I have the steak and egg sandwich, medium rare, on wheat toast, the two over easy eggs with the golden brown hash browns and two pieces of toast, wheat bread?" he asked, his stomach growling again.

"You must be from the country," she said, striking a conversation with a smile. "We don't get many of you boys around."

Jake just shrugged and asked for a tall glass of orange juice to drink.

Evan looked down at the menu and stuttered out his order of toast and hash browns with a cup of black coffee with a shy smile.

The girl taking their order nodded, leaving two straws for their drinks. "It'll be right up boys." She gave one more smile to Jake and bounded off to the other patrons.

"You haven't been eating right, have you?" Evan asked, sending Jake an all-knowing look.

"I've been eating fine," Jake defended, crossing his arms like a little kid and turning away his face away from Evan. His foot reaching across the booth seat and tapping Evan's.

Evan sighed, letting Jake play makeshift footsie with him. "You normally don't eat that much, besides, I know Nikki doesn't eat half of that and you don't want to look like a pig in front of people."

Jake groaned, damn Evan for knowing so much about him. "I told you I'm only dating her because you told me to," he brought up, hoping to lead Evan in the direction of the subject they needed to talk about.

"And you should stay with her," Evan answered. He looked down at his lap. He didn't know how he should tell Jake that he wanted Jake to have someone worth his time. "You just think about your breakfast."

"It doesn't matter. I dumped her last night," Jake said, eyes resting on Evan's slumped form. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I want you Evan. Just you."

Evan sighed heavily, biting his lower lip. "Dammit Jake," he muttered, crossing his arms across his chest and looking towards the windows across from their booth. He looked up just in time to see the food coming towards them. He smiled at the waitress, thankful that it wasn't fake since she had brought the distraction of food. He thanked her and looked down at his plate, suddenly losing all appetite he had had before.

Jake's mouth watered as he looked down at his array of food. "I think I'm in love," he whispered, digging right in.

Evan watched Jake eat, almost mesmerized. He ate his own food slowly, picking at his hash browns before scooting them around his plate to make it look like he'd eaten more than a bite or two. He sipped at his coffee and watched Jake down half of his orange juice before sighing contently and licking his upper lip.

Jake smiled back at Evan, reaching across the table and resting his hand on his. "I was hoping I could show you around Oklahoma this week," he suggested.

Evan was stunned. He'd never been invited somewhere with someone else. "I… I have… but Mike," he tried to protest.

"He lives in LA, you live in St. Louis."

Evan had to think fast. He took his hand back and smiled. "I promised my mom I would stay home this week with her." He knew it was a crappy lie but it held some truth. He would spend the week with her and recover until Monday.

Jake shrugged. "We'll go another time then," he said softly, smiling as he pulled his lone hand back to his side of the table.

They sat there in silence while they listened the diner buzz with new people for their late breakfasts and early lunches. Both were consumed in their own thoughts, paying little attention to the eyes outside the big window looking in on them.

* * *

(A/N): So this has been a hard chapter to write. I have a lot that I want to do with this but I'm still working out a time line. Wow! That sounded really nerdy. Lol. Oh well. For all of you that don't know what's going on with this fic and why it's been such a long update check out my profile it is in bold at the top that pretty much explains it all. Well, tell me what you think, like I said I got a lot planned, it's just getting there that's causing some problems. Title is Rescue Plan by Jamaram.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	4. Fuck The Pain Away

_****_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 3**

* * *

_**Fuck The Pain Away**_

Eve was sitting at the table with Jake in the catering area, playing with a napkin. "That couldn't have went any more perfect," she said, smiling.

Jake nodded, smiling back. "You know you didn't have to make that noise when he kissed your hand," he said, shrugging.

Eve's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I did. After everything that little prick has done to my little Evan, he deserves everything that's coming to him, especially tonight," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You almost sound like you have feelings for him."

Eve's ruffed up persona melted away as she turned back to Jake and took his hand in hers. "He's like my little brother. If I didn't have Melina, I'd try and take his little cute behind from you," she whispered, showing that her and the other woman were on a low profile. "But Evan loves you so it wouldn't matter."

Jake felt his cheeks get hot. "I don't think I could fight you off," he whispered back, chuckling. "So what did you find out from them?"

"Evan has a match with Mike later. I'm introducing them both, so I was thinking that you could come out, like you were planning, but make some serious fun of him. Since he has this thing for me."

"Hey, I'm supposed to have a thing for you right now, at least in the script," he defended, smiling. "I'll keep that in mind, just remember you have act disgusted."

"That's no problem."

Jake's smile fell. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, looking a little hurt.

Eve only smiled, patting their clasped hands. "Don't worry. I'm a good actor. Besides, I'd do anything for Evan. I'll see you out there."

Jake nodded, letting the woman's hand go and watching her leave. He smiled softly, hell if he wasn't head over heels for Evan and she didn't have a girlfriend he'd try to get with her. He sighed, his mind really on Evan, he hadn't seen him since they had parted at the restaurant and he hadn't spoken to him since that night. He was getting worried. He stood, taking his bottle of water and walking back towards his locker room to think.

Evan's eyes were filled with tears as he watched the two part. He'd seen the entire conversation, how they smiled and how they held hands for so long. He sighed, watching as Jake walked away, wanting to call out for him to stop. He leaned back against the wall in the hall he was standing in before sliding down and resting his head in his arms. He tried to push back the tears. He felt so betrayed by both.

"Evan?" a soft voice asked, catching the man's attention.

Evan looked up, brushing the tears out of his eyes to see another good friend of his. "Hey Kofi," he whimpered, giving a watery smile.

Kofi bent down to sit next to his friend. "You ok?" he asked, crossing his legs and looking over to the other man.

Evan tried to smile. "Yeah," he whispered, letting his legs straighten out in front of him. "How're you?"

Kofi sighed, he knew Evan well enough to know what he was deflecting something. "I'm good. You're match is about up though," he said, standing and helping Evan to his feet. "You know who you're going against?"

Evan shook his head, thinking that it was a bit odd that he didn't know who his opponent for the night was. "I haven't asked," he answered, starting to fiddle with his fingers.

A girl in black walked up to them, smiling as she pointed to Evan. "You're up next love," she said, a British accent thick. She smiled before walking away, leaving the two to sit and finish their conversation in peace.

Evan smiled at Kofi standing and helping his friend up. "Well, I better get out there. I'll see you later Kofi," he said, walking towards the curtains. He sighed, looking out to see Eve as the special guest ring announcer. He looked back towards the crew only to see Mike, walking up with a smirk on his lips. He smiled at his lover, waving slightly.

Mike only nodded, listening to the goddess' voice introduce Evan.

Evan was pleased with just a nod as he heard his music and started out. He still wasn't sure who his opponent was, but it made him feel good that Mike was there to support him. He touched the hands of the fans and smiled, throwing up his peace sign and getting into the ring, only to see the smile on Eve's face. He frowned, looking at her. He started to bounce from side to side, getting ready for his opponent when Mike's music started to play. He froze for a moment before playing it off and pretending like it wasn't bothering him.

Eve introduced Mike, smiling at how well her and Jake's plan was going to go. She smiled at Evan, her heart just flooding with compassion for the other man.

Evan looked out to see Mike calmly strolling into the ring and he looked back at the smiling woman. "You stay away from me," he snapped, pointing at her. He pulled off his shirt and threw it out of the ring, moving to the other side as Mike got in and started to show off.

Eve was hurt as she looked from Evan to Mike and then to the microphone she was holding.

Evan held his tongue, his face showing complete disdain for the woman and his match.

Mike smiled, telling the actual ring announcer to hold the ropes for Eve. He smiled at her, winking as she bent down to get out. He showed off his belt a little more before turning back to Evan and smirking as he set his belt down and worked on his kneepads.

Evan tried to pump himself up, stretching side to side and looking straight at his boyfriend, wondering why they were up against one another. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, watching as Mike narrowed his eyes and smirked evilly. He held up his hands, running to the other man and locking arms.

"Shut up and take it," Mike snapped, kneeing Evan in the ribs and pushing him to the side. He took a step and once Evan turned back towards him he kicked in right in the side of his face with a smile. "You always do."

Evan looked up, holding his mouth and nose, sure that it was starting to bleed. He felt the wind rush by him as he was thrown into the ropes to fling to the other side of the ring. He held the ropes, afraid that this match was more than just a match to Mike. He looked down at him, seeing that Mike had bent over. He tried to kick out, missing and slipping back to land on his head. He whimpered, his eyes going out of focus for a moment.

Mike smiled, running over and trying to pin Evan. "Just stay still," he roughly muttered, the squirming starting to piss him off.

Evan shook his head, kicking out. "No!"

Mike pursed his lips as he stood, looking down at the smaller man and kicked him right in the upper arm, earning a good wail from Evan. "Get up you little shit," he snickered, walking closer.

Evan held the ropes for support when he lashed out and kicked Mike in the leg. He wasn't just going to let this match go.

Mike's face turned darker as he kicked Evan right in the stomach, sending him back down to the ground. "I'm not playing with you, you little shit," he snarled, pushing his knee right into his boyfriend's neck, cutting off his air. He let go on the ref's three count and looked down at the little body, his anger only growing. He walked over to Evan, who was still on all fours after getting off the second rope and grabbed him by the arm.

Evan tried to say no, the warm hands on him, making him feel some kind of warm compassion just before he was picked up and slammed back down on the mat. He whimpered, clutching his head. He felt his leg be lifted and Mike's weight on him. All he could hear was Mike's voice.

"You better be in my room tonight."

He kicked out, rolling to one side as he as he tried to crawl away. He cried out, a knee pressing sharply against his spine and just when he thought the pain couldn't get much worse, Mike grabbed his hair and began to yank violently. Evan screamed, his head very tender as he tried to pry the long fingers from his dark locks. "Let go!" he cried, his head searing in pain.

Mike was getting even more annoyed with Evan's tolerance. "Fine you want to play rough?" he asked, wrapping his arms around Evan's and pulling him back, almost bending his back in a forty-five degree angle as he squatted behind Evan. "Give up you pussy."

Evan shook his head, Mike's words swirling around in his mind. He could hear the ref asking him if he wanted to quit. "No!" he yelled, his voice cracking slightly from the pain. He tried to ignore the pain as he squirmed, hoping to break loose Mike. "Let go!" he whimpered, knowing that he couldn't out power Mike in this position. "Please Mike!"

Mike shook his head. "Give up, and I might," he snapped back, waiting for the other man to say he was through. He tried to apply more pressure, moving his legs around because of a crap that he felt coming on.

Evan started to feel the pressure ease just slightly and he took the opening. He tried to get out of Mike's hold only to end up belly on the mat and Mike right on top of him.

"Feel familiar?" Mike asked, releasing one arm and grabbing Evan's hair again before slamming his face into the mat. "I bet it does." He smiled, pulling Evan back onto the same move, his face contorted in anger as he looked at the ref to ask Evan if he was going to give up.

Evan hurt, he wanted to give up but when he looked over to see Eve sitting there, worry on her face, he couldn't take it. He had to win, had to get Jake back from her. He maneuvered his legs up, getting to his feet while Mike had his arms. He broke the hold and went to pick Mike up. He groaned, thinking that he was heavy before setting him back down.

Mike smirked, pinning Evan down for a power bomb. He smirked, getting ready to lift the other man before his smirk was wiped off by a frown as he was lifted up into the air and flipped over the other man. He groaned, pulling Evan down for a quick pin.

Evan rolled out of it, jumping forward with his knees landing right in Mike's chest. He cried out, smiling when he got up. He was getting tired of the abuse, the pain, everything that Mike was putting him through. He bounced off of Mike and turned back for a pin. "I'm not going to put up with you," he whispered, his pin getting kicked out of.

"Sure you are, after all, Jake seems more interested in Eve than you now," he answered, getting up.

Evan grabbed onto Mike, the little comment pissing him off to no end. No one was going to say that to him. Jake loved him. He dodged the punch coming towards him with a kick to Mike's midsection. "You asshole!" He kicked Mike right in the back of his leg. "You abusive, fucking prick!" He kicked him again, before running and using the momentum from the ropes to jump and wrap his legs around Mike's head before spinning and throwing him. He stood, and flew into Mike with an elbow. Needless to say, he was ungodly pissed off. He pinned him again.

Mike chuckled. "That rile you up?" he queried, chuckling.

Evan felt his ears steam. He grabbed Mike by the head and lift him up.

Mike smiled. "Get over it," he snapped, running Evan none to gently into the corner, forcing a shout of surprise and grunt of pain from him.

Eve looked down at her phone, biting her lower lip. She hid it back with the other ring announcer as she saw Mike wail on Evan. She only hoped and when she heard the crowd start to boo she took a breath of relief.

Jake was walking down the ramp, his eyes hard as he tried not to focus on Mike hitting on Evan. He walked around the ring, feeling both Mike and Evan's eyes on him. He walked over to the table and picked up a mic, giving Eve a smile. He looked towards Eve and leaned against the ring casually. He smiled, thinking that this couldn't have gone any better. "Miz, no one is watching your match." He blew a kiss to Eve for show.

Mike looked down at the Olkie and growled, the last think he needed was that asshole walking around.

"The person everyone that everyone is watching, is not you."

Mike rolled his eyes, going back to Evan who at the moment was trying to regain his breath.

"What they're really watching, is Eve," Jake said, smiling wider and trying not to finch when he heard the thud of Evan on the canvas again. "Or should I say: Eve watching me, cheese." He tried not to laugh, the look Eve giving him making him want to laugh right then and there. He spared a look to Evan who was leaning against the corner next to him. He tried to ignore the tears that were starting to form in his dark eyes.

Evan stood still as Mike ran towards him. It wasn't because he was tired, it wasn't because he didn't want to fight, it was because he didn't want to hear anymore about Eve and Jake. It hurt too much to even think that everything that he'd told her just made her some how take the only person in his life that cared about him away. He let Mike's flying arm hit him across the throat and he fell to the ground, letting a single tear fall.

"And who could blame her, it's hard to take your eyes off an All-Ameri…" he stopped, the ropes moving behind him. His eyes locked with Mike's. He showed that he was going to fight for Evan, Eve was just a cover up, a show for the fans. He stepped back, ready to have it out with Mike right there. He dropped the mic.

Mike's eyes narrowed as he got out of the ropes and jumped down. He ignored the ref warning him to get back into the ring. He had a fight with this man and he wasn't about to let it go. Evan was his, no matter what, no matter how bad he treated him, no matter how useless he was, Evan was Mike's plain and simple. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked, moving closer.

Jake only smiled. "You are," he answered, watching Eve get up and move. "You messing with Eve."

"Is that it?" Mike asked, the space between them diminishing. "Or is it about something else?" He was trying to get Jake to loosen his tongue around all the fans, let them know that he had a thing for the smaller man. "Get out of my or I'll break you face right after I'm done with his"

"I'm here all day everyday," Jake taunted, getting closer, ready to start the battle right there at ringside for Evan.

Evan groaned, getting up and watching the two argue. His heart was torn to pieces. When he finally thought he had the strength to leave Mike, Jake abandoned him for someone else. He grabbed the ropes and jumped, uncaring of who he landed on.

Jake caught sight of Evan and tried to reach out, cushion his fall some how. He felt the hard mats under him and sighed, his head aching.

"You backstabbing son-of-a-bitch," Evan whimpered, getting up and trying to get back into the ring.

Jake tried to crawl away, his heart aching with what he'd heard. He only rolled over to his back, his head starting to pound from the impact on the mat. He looked up to where Evan was kneeling in the ring. He could see the fire and the pain in Evan's eyes as he stood there, pretending to be happy for the fans as the ten count came out, deeming him the winner.

Evan hurried out of the ring, seeing the look in Mike's eyes. He only smiled, running up the ramp to keep from the anger that he knew he was only going to feel later. He looked up as he bowed, catching the beaming smile Jake was giving off.

Mike looked from Evan to Jake. He was going to kill Jake for this! He groaned, his eyes focusing on Jake, letting Evan fall to the back of his mind for a little while.

Jake smiled, looking back at Eve when Evan disappeared. His plan had gone perfectly, now all he had to do was talk to Evan, showing him that this was all planned out. He took Eve's hand and walked her back to the curtains, watching as Melina embraced her and glared at Jake.

"You stay away from her, you creep," she snapped.

Jake only held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sure she'll explain it all to you," he said, extending a hand to Eve. "Thank you for everything." He shook Eve's hand. He turned back to Melina, sure that she would scratch his eyes out if he touched Eve again. "Don't worry, Eve is beautiful and all but I've got my eyes on someone a bit smaller." He chuckled, waving to Eve and thanking her again.

"I feel like I missed something," Melina whispered, looking to her girlfriend.

Eve only smiled. "I'll tell you about while we get a shower," she whispered back, wrapping an arm around the gorgeous woman.

Jake hurried to find Evan, only to get pulled aside by Nikki.

"We need to talk Jake," she said, taking her hands in hers. "I miss you baby." She looked behind Jake, catching the sight of the smaller man she was facing off against for the man's affections. "Jake, I want to work this out." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips firmly to his.

Evan stopped, the water bottle in his hands falling as he turned and walked away. He couldn't believe that he let himself think that Jake was really going to leave Nikki for him. He sighed, trying not to cry as he walked back to the curtains, ready for the last match, the one where he would be a lumberjack.

* * *

Mike was waiting at the hotel for Evan, his thoughts on the previous week.

_Mike was sitting outside of a coffee shop, sipping at his insanely overly priced coffee. It wasn't the price that bothered him, it wasn't even the fact that he'd left the hotel without seeing his boyfriend, what did bother him was that he hadn't heard from John that day and he was easily getting more and more annoyed as time went on. He was tired of waiting on John. He pulled out his cell phone, winking at one girl that walked past. He looked down at it, thinking that he would leave everything to get John back. He'd kick Evan to the curb so fast it wasn't even funny. "Just call me dammit," he muttered, dialing the number and holding the phone to his ear. He waited, listening to the same boring rings._

"_Mike." John was sighing._

"_Listen, I want you back John. I want you and me again. I know that Bragging Rights didn't go like you wanted it to but I want you to come home," Mike said, leaning back in his chair, waiting for a reply._

"_Mike, I'm sorry. I'm with Phil and we're happy," he answered, his voice gentle. "If things were different, then I would say yes."_

_Mike sighed, running his free hand over his face. "Don't so this. You know he isn't going to take care of you like I did. Leave him. John, please, I'll leave Evan, I'd do anything to be with you again."_

"_I can't talk about this right now Mike. I'll call you later. Bye." With that he hung up._

_Mike growled, tossing his phone on the table in disgust. "Dammit!" he snapped, crossing his arms. He wasn't sure how, but he was going to get John back if it killed him._

"_Um… Mike," a woman asked, sitting in front of the disgruntled man._

"_Yeah, what's up Nikki?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his face. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to her either. He really didn't like Jake and he didn't want him around Evan._

"_Take a walk with me?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him. "Just to talk, of course."_

_Mike gave her an incredulous look, but stood up. He drank the rest of his coffee and threw the empty container in the trashcan just a few feet from where he was sitting before walking with her. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked, crossing his arms while they walked._

_She smiled at him turning the corner into an empty alley before turning to him and dropping her delightful demeanor. "Now listen to me you short, mouthy, little bitch," she snapped, pushing him against the wall before poking him in the chest with one perfectly manicured finger. "You keep your little cum-guzzling gutter rat away from Jake. I'm not getting left for some used up little prick toy."_

_Mike's blue eyes widened. He never thought that sweet innocent Nikki Bella had such an attitude. "What's the hell are you talking about?" he asked, slapping her hand away from his chest. He wasn't intimidated by her height, sure she was slightly taller than him at the moment, but that was because she was wearing a set of four-inch pumps._

_Nikki growled, digging in her purse and pulling out her phone. "You're little whore was out this morning with MY boyfriend. I don't care what he said last night. He wants me in his life and I'm not letting Evan fucking Bourne get in my way!" she hissed, showing Mike the pictures she had snapped while they had been eating. "I saw them this morning together and I'm not letting Jake go to _him_._

_Mike grabbed her phone, looking over the pictures of the two in question. "That little." He didn't finish as he walked away. "Don't worry, he's not going anywhere," he snapped, leaving the twin there and huffing his way down the street to the airport. He wasn't going to let Evan get away with leaving him in the middle of the night to spend the rest of it and that morning with the man he hated._

_Mike reached for his phone in his pocket, realizing he'd left it on the table. He doubled back, finding that it was just where he left it and picked it up. He dialed a few numbers and waited. "Yeah, I'm calling in a favor. I want Evan in a match Monday. Thanks." He was pleasant on the phone but once he hung up he shoved the phone violently into his pocket and trudged on. He was going to make Evan pay for this._

_The phone started to ring, sending a lovely sound of Mike's entrance music through the air._

_Mike pulled it out and answered it, completely forgetting to look at the number. "Hello?"_

"_Listen, I may have been a little forward back there, but I'm willing to offer you a deal," Nikki purred._

"_Yeah and what's that?" he asked, ready to just hang up and ignore her calls._

"_Well, I know what you want. Perhaps I can get it for you if you do me the same favor."_

_Mike stopped, the wheels spinning in his head. "Really?"_

"_Really. You just have to keep Evan away from Jake and I can get you John," she persuaded. "Deal?"_

_Mike smiled. How he loved devious little bitches. "Deal."_

Mike sighed. He hadn't heard anything from John or the Bella. He leaned back against wall with his chair. He only could think about what he'd agreed to. In a way he felt bad for what he was doing to Evan but he just begged for it. He didn't want to think about it. He let the chair fall back to all fours with a dull thud. He got up and walked to the shower, a nice hot one would clear his mind.

* * *

Evan sighed, finding the room Mike had rented out and knocked lightly. He waited for the door to open and when it did he stepped inside. He looked up to see his boyfriend standing there, a towel around his waist and hair wet. He tossed his things down and grabbed Mike by the cheeks. Pulling Mike in, Evan crushed their lips together, nipping at Mike's lips as he slammed the door shut.

Mike was a bit surprised but held Evan to him, kissing back the other man, furiously trying to keep up with him. He pulled at Evan's shirt, throwing it aside and attacking his lips again. He pulled him to the bed and pulled away to push him down onto it.

Evan groaned, looking up at Mike with half lidded eyes. He inhaled, swallowing around a lump in his throat. This was where he belonged. "Fuck me," he whimpered, throwing himself back into his previous, enjoyable times with the other man.

Mike pulled away, looking down at the lithe body under him. He dove back in, kissing Evan lightly. 'Nikki must have really pulled a good one,' he thought, his fingers springing to life on the other man's body. He craved to be inside Evan. He needed it, much like the man underneath him did.

Evan allowed Mike to finish undressing him before turning him over and raising his hips up. He sighed, looking back at his lover. "No," he muttered, reaching back for Mike's hand. "No lube."

Mike's eyes widened again, looking down at Evan. He couldn't have imagined it going this well. He nodded, dropping the little tube and shoving right into Evan's tight little pucker. He groaned, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of Evan's hips.

Evan cried out, the tears he'd been holding back all along spilling down his cheeks. He clawed at the covers, trying to focus on what Mike was doing to him and not Jake. He didn't want to think about how he had betrayed him. He didn't want to think about Eve or Jake and their backstabbing act. He cried out again, this time in pleasure as Mike started hitting his prostate. He tried to turn his attention on his boyfriend and not the man that he really wanted to be with. He sighed, reaching down to stroke himself. He growled, feeling himself get closer and closer until finally he came in his hand. He groaned, his eyes dull as he looked out into the room. He didn't know what else to do besides go back to Mike. At least with Mike he could fuck the pain away.

* * *

(A/N): Well that was quiet a long chapter compared to normal. For some odd reason I had to put the chapter title in the fic somewhere, it just belonged I guess. Lol. So what do you guys think? Good? I hope so. About looking in on Jake and Evan, I couldn't let it be Mike, sorry. It was just too predictable. I love twists and turns, besides, it's always fun to make different characters bad guys. Well, before this gets too long, tell me what you think. Title is Fuck The Pain Away by Peaches.

JacktheSinsiter_JaketheJust


	5. Please Please Listen To Me

_****_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 4**

* * *

_**Please Please (Listen To Me)**_

Jake dialed Evan's number again, hoping to get a hold of the smaller man. "Dammit Ev," he whispered, getting voicemail again. He threw his phone at his hotel bed in anger, growling before kicking said bed. "Fuck!" He didn't know what Evan was thinking when he'd jumped on him and Mike and calling him such names. He started to pace his room, going back to the phone and dialing Eve's number. It rang.

"Who the fuck is calling at this hour?" Melina's angry voice snapped sleepily.

"Shit Melina," Jake groaned. He looked over at the digital clock. He only sighed when he saw it was almost three in the morning. "I'm sorry Melina but is Eve there?"

"Jake?" Melina asked, her cranky voice starting to diminish into just a sleepy tone.

"Yeah. Is she awake?" he asked, sitting down on the bed.

"She's sleeping, what's wrong?"

Jake looked down at his bare feet. "Has she talked to Evan at all tonight?" He hoped that Eve had explained it all to Melina by then, it would at least save him a little time.

"No. She was upset earlier about him though. Said he told her to stay away from him when she introduced him and Mike. Is something wrong? Did something happen to Evan?" she queried, her voice getting upset.

"No. It's just I can't get a hold of him and I didn't see him at the arena. I'm just worried. He normally calls me by now." He sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. "Eve told you about what we had planned right?"

"Yeah, but what would that have to do with anything?"

"I think he took it the wrong way. Why else would he call me a backstabbing son-of-a-bitch?" He sighed. "It didn't help that Nikki jumped on me right after my match either…"

"Didn't you break thing off with her?"

"Yeah. I don't think she got the message."

Melina was quiet for a moment. "There's not much we can do tonight. Tomorrow we'll meet up with you in the lobby and we'll talk this over. We'll be down at about nine. We'll figure it all out Jake," she reassured him.

Jake smiled. "That's Melina. Sorry I woke you up."

"It's fine, just don't do it again. I'm gonna have to put your name in here though so we can avoid this in the future," she giggled saying her good nights and hanging up.

Jake sighed tossing the phone behind him. He wasn't getting to sleep anytime soon. He stood up and slipped on his slippers. He grabbed the key card from his nightstand and headed out. If anything a nice walk would do him some good. He took the elevator to the top of the hotel and shivered, the cool night air biting into his skin as he stepped out onto the empty patio.

Blue eyes shifted from the cool rock under his feet to the glistening water that lay only meters away.

The glass enclosing the pool was fogged slightly, likely from the Jacuzzi inside that bubbled warmly at all hours of the day and night.

Jake walked closer, opening the door with his keycard and stepping into the warm atmosphere. He breathed in the heavy humid air and sighed, he missed Oklahoma. He looked down at the water, remembering the walk to the nearby lake where he and his friends would swim. He walked over to a chair and slipped off his slippers and sleeping pants. He smiled, it wasn't the first time he'd been skinny-dipping.

Walking over to the waters edge, Jake dipped a foot in, shivering a bit at the cool water. He walked over to the deep end and smiled. He dove in. He didn't care that it was only seven foot. The water encased him, the cold water making his muscles tighten before loosening up and moving to propel him up to the surface.

He sighed, breaking through the surface. He moved to where the water was only chest deep and ran his fingers through his wet hair. He worked around the pool a little, swimming a few laps to get his mind off of everything. He decided it was enough and dipped down to wet his hair back before emerging with a smile. He loved swimming, it always made him feel better. He ran a hand through his hair and then over his face, his eyes falling on a brunette right at the edge of the pool with a towel over his shoulders. "Evan…" he whispered.

Evan turned, hurrying to the door and trying to push it open. He stopped, a wet body pressed against his back. "Let me go," he whimpered, his voice shaking with the tears that were already starting to fill his eyes.

Jake held onto Evan tighter. "I'm not letting you go," he said firmly. "Why are you running from me?"

"I'm not running," Evan snapped, yanking free and turning to face Jake. "I'm just leaving. I'm don't want to be around some self indulgent, wanna be player, asshole!"

Jake was taken back, his eyes widening. "Where did all this come from?" he asked, taking Evan's shoulders in his hands. "What's going on?"

Evan looked down, only to look back up after seeing that Jake was completely naked. "I saw you and Eve, how you two talked, how close you were, then right after you were sucking face with Nikki. I'm tired of being led on and then nothing!" he cried, the built up tears starting to slip down his cheeks. "I didn't think you would ever do that to me."

Jake let Evan go, his heart aching. "I never led you on Evan!" he called to the running man. "Evan! Evan I love you!"

Evan stopped, turning to face Jake's shivering body at the open door to the pool. The tears on his cheeks stung in the breeze as he looked down at his feet and stepped into the elevator. "I can't believe you," he yelled, pushing the close door button and then his floor number. He broke down, sitting down on the floor of the elevator and sobbing into his hands. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…."

Jake stood there for a moment, sighing as he shut the door and grabbed a towel to dry off. He pulled on his clothes and grabbed his slippers, ready to just go back to his room and pretend to sleep. He punched in the down button harder than he meant and cursed when his finger started to sting. He heard the ding and stepped in, wondering how he was going to fix this mess he was in.

* * *

Eve was standing sleepily against Melina, yawning and looking around as the few people around the lobby. "So what are we doing down here again?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

Melina sighed. She knew never to explain anything to Eve before noon on their days off or else she was going to have to explain it a million times. "Babe, Jake called last night about Evan," she explained slowly, earning a glare from her girlfriend. "I think Evan got the wrong idea from that stunt you and him pulled."

"It was fool proof though. It was to make Mike lose and give Evan a boost of confidence to get rid of him," Eve explained sadly. "Evan was so upset about it."

"Well we're going to figure it out," Melina sighed, hugging Eve to her. "Don't worry sweetheart. There's Jake." He pulled away and led Eve over to the blond man. "You look like shit."

Jake gave her a dirty look. "I've been up all night," he muttered, finding that he really didn't care to start a fight that early in the morning.

"You never got to sleep?" Eve asked, resting a hand on Jake's shoulder.

Jake shook his head. "I went for a swim after I talked to Melina and I saw Evan. He thinks there's something going on between us," he explained, rubbing his eyes. "I don't think being naked helped at all."

"You were naked?" Melina asked, pulling Eve away from Jake a bit.

"I went swimming and I didn't have my trunks so I wasn't going to swim in my slippers and pajama pants," Jake said, waiving his hand. "That's not the point though. I caught him before he could leave and he called me a self-indulgent, wanna be player, asshole. Then accused me of being with Eve. I'm guessing he saw us talking while we were in catering and then he had to see Nikki jumping on me afterwards."

"That sounds too planned," Melina speculated. "I mean you and Eve talking was an accident but he had to have seen Nikki on you because it was planned."

"Wait, I thought you dropped Nikki?" Eve asked, confused.

Jake sighed. "I did. I broke it off and then she just comes up saying she misses me and attacks my lips." He groaned, walking a few steps with the girls before looking back at the elevators. He sighed, seeing a few people come off of it laughing and joking with each other. "I told him I loved him." He got quiet. "Then he told he couldn't believe me," he whimpered, crossing his arms and sighing.

Eve moved to hug Jake, feeling really bad for him but was stopped by Melina. "Mel," she started, getting cut off by Melina pointing to the lobby doors. There stood Evan, looking down at his feet as he walked.

"I'm gonna go talk to him," Melina said, walking away.

"Evan…" Eve whispered, taking Jake's hand and pulling him to the safety of a seated area just out of sight of the two. "If anyone can talk any sense into someone it's Mel."

Jake sat down, feeling the exhaustion set in. He replied in a sigh, "I hope so."

Melina smiled, jogging up to Evan and wrapping an arm around him. "Hey!" she greeted, suddenly seeing the weary expression and the pale face. "Evan are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I've just a little tired," Evan covered up, smiling brightly and walking a little faster. "What are you doing?"

"Well I've come to find you. It's part of my scavenger hunt," she said, pulling her arm back and walking with him. "I have to tell you something."

Evan looked up at her unsure. "Okay?" he questioned, looking towards where she was leading him. "I don't want to go over there." He saw Jake and stopped. He couldn't face him at that moment. It was too soon.

"Evan, sweetness, you need to come over," Melina whispered, taking his hand gently. She led him over and let his hand go as she moved to sit on the edge of Eve's chair. "I think you should know that Eve is my girlfriend." To prove her point she moved in and kissed Eve fully on the mouth.

Jake's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that much from them.

Evan looked down at his feet, tears filling his eyes. He started to chuckle sadly. "It's all a game to you isn't it? Some sick kind of game to get off on!" he snapped, looking up at Jake. He knew he was making a scene the tears fresh on his face. "A sick game for your cruel obsession!" He turned and ran towards the elevator.

"Evan wait! Please listen to me!" Jake called, running after the other man, despite the people watching him in confusion. He stopped, the golden colored doors shutting right in his face as he got there. His hand slammed right into the doors. "Dammit!"

"We're making a scene," Eve whispered, coming over and touching Jake's shoulders, pulling him back from the elevator. "Come on, we'll go talk about this somewhere else."

Jake nodded, his whole body just slumping. "Alright. Let's go," he agreed, turning and walking with the two ladies. "He's never going to believe me."

"That's why we're here Jake," Melina whispered as they took the stairs and stopped on the third floor, finding it to be the most private place other than their rooms, which could only cause more problems.

"We're going to figure out what's going on. I'm not letting Evan stay with that monster and I'm sure as hell not going to let Nikki get in the middle of this," Eve said, taking Jake's hand in hers and pressing a light kiss to his knuckles. "I promise you'll get him."

Melina nodded, taking Jake's other hand. "We just need a plan," she said, thinking hard.

"I know Evan isn't going to talk to me but Nikki and I are still pretty close. Maybe I can trick her into telling me what's going on. I mean I won't be able to talk to you because you know how she gets, but Melina can always relay messages. Babe it's perfect!" Eve stated, almost jumping up. "I mean you can talk to Evan, tell him that it wasn't a joke. He'll be more likely to talk to you right now because he's pissed at me and Jake."

"Eve, you're a genius!" Jake happily said, hugging her close. "Melina can talk to Evan, you can talk to Nikki and I can somehow figure out what's going on with Mike."

"Mike?" Melina questioned, wondering how the hell he got into the equation.

Eve and Jake exchanged a look. "You never told her?"

"I didn't think it would really matter that much."

"Eve!"

"Ok, ok, I didn't want her to go kill him."

"What the hell is going on?" Melina snapped, standing up and standing in front of them on the landing.

Jake sighed, he figured he should at least tell her what was going on. "Mike and Evan are dating. That's already known but Mike beats on Evan. He abuses him all the time now since he can't get John back," he explained.

"John's…"

"Dating Phil, we know," Jake and Eve finished.

Melina nodded. "I see." She thought for a moment, pushing her hip out to one side. "So how is this going to start?" she asked, sitting on the stone steps again next to Jake and the railing.

"I'll call Nikki and make up an appointment to have lunch sometime this week. You should give Evan a day or two to cool off," Eve suggested, thinking. "And Jake… well…."

Jake stood up. "Don't worry about me. I'll figure something out. John and I are on good terms last I knew. I'll give him a call later. Maybe he can help me figure this out with Mike and Evan. Wait! I know! I'll call Jeff! Jeff is perfect!" he said, the idea of Jeff's best friend suddenly coming to mind.

"Didn't Evan date Matt back in ECW though?" Melina asked, more so to Eve than Jake.

"It's a risk I'll have to take. If anything I rather he be back with Matt than Mike. It's a risk I have to take. And I liked when him and Matt dated. He was happier." His words were a bit sad but heartfelt. "I guess that's the breaks though." He forced out a watery smile and got up. "I better get up to my room and call before I change my mind," he whispered, thanking Eve and Melina for everything that they were doing for him. "I really appreciate it all."

Eve and Melina waved good-bye, watching his leave, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans and his body still a bit slumped. They hugged each other close and walked up to their own room.

Jake sighed, opening the door from the stair way and walking down to his room. He didn't want to call Jeff. They didn't have a very good friendship but Jeff would do anything for Evan. He slid his card through the door machine and walked in and flopped down on the bed. He reached for his phone and scrolled through the numbers before landing on Jeff's. He hit talk and waited.

"Charismatic Enigma!" Jeff's bright voice answered, the joy just radiating out of him.

"Hey Jeff, this is Jake."

Jeff's joyful tone dropped. "What do you want?"

"I need you to have Evan come visit you sometime soon," he said, sitting up on the edge of his bed. "I really need this favor Jeff."

"Why?" Jeff asked, unsure if he should believe the bigger man or just hang up.

"I can't tell you everything because it's not my place. Jeff it's hard to explain but…." He sighed in frustration. "Damn. Please could you just call him in a week or so and invite him out there if it's not too much of a hassle on your end?" he asked, getting desperate.

"Something big had to have happened for you to be this upset," Jeff said calmly, his tone soft. "You know if he comes out here him and Matt might get back together right?"

Jake sighed again. "I know," he answered, thinking of his previous conversation with Eve and Melina. "I'm willing to risk it Jeff."

"You have to really care to go through that kind of pain."

Jake smiled. "I love him Jeff. There's a lot going on right now. I can explain it later. I don't want to tie you up with all this right now if you're busy."

"I got plenty of time Jake. Believe me, I got plenty of time."

Jake smiled, feeling a little at ease with Jeff on the phone with him. "I know why Evan says you make people feel better now," he said with a chuckle. "He's lucky to have you as a friend."

"And he's lucky someone like you loves him so much because I know that asshole Mike doesn't give a flying fuck about him."

Jake let out a cold laugh. Yeah, this is why everyone went to Jeff if they needed someone to talk to.

"So what's going on with you two?"

"Where to begin?"

When he was done on the phone Jake tossed it to the other side of the bed and laid back, looking up at the ceiling for some kind of answer to his dilemma. He reached for his phone again and dialed Evan's number, knowing he wouldn't get the man.

It rang for a moment before going to voicemail and for the first time since he'd tried getting a hold of Evan, Jake left a voicemail.

* * *

(A/N): Well another chapter down! Woo hoo! I've been working my buns off for a group of Christmas fics which never got done, but there's always next year. I put off a lot of these for them and it wasn't really worth it. But oh well. I put at least one Christmas fic up so it's ok. So, Evan is still angry with Jake, and it's not looking any better. Will this plan work? Will it fail? Well lets see in the next chapter! (Terrible attempt at getting motivated. Lol) Oh well. What do you guys think? Title is Please Please (Listen To Me) by 20/20.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	6. Chasing Shadows

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 5**

* * *

_**Chasing Shadows**_

Eve chuckled, holding up a bright red dress to Nikki's body. "This one looks fabulous! You _have_ to try it on!" she said, scooting her friend into the dressing room. "Go on!"

Nikki giggled and headed in, closing the door behind her. "Eve! This dress is perfect! I can't wait to get it on. What do you think Jake will think about it?" she asked, filling the room with the sound of rustling clothes and zips.

Eve frowned, remembering why she stopped hanging out with Nikki. "I was going to ask you about him," she brought up, trying to play dumb.

"What's on your mind?"

"Well I had heard that you two had broken up so I figured instead of just listening to all the rumors I'd ask you," she said, leaning back against the wall and crossing her arms. She forgot how long it took Nikki to try something on.

"Who told you that me and Jake broke up?" Nikki asked angrily, yanking the door open, showing her slim form in the brand new dress. She placed her hands on her hips.

Eve straightened and shrugged her shoulders. "It was just some random chatter around the locker room that's all. I'm guessing none of it's true than," she asked, smiling at Nikki. "I'll have to rectify the rumor next time I hear it than." She giggled for good measure, watching as Nikki's face untwisted from it's currently pissed off face and eased back into a carefree one.

"I see. I wonder who started it. I dare one of those little sluts to try and take Jake away from me, man or woman," she snapped, throwing her hair over her shoulder before looking in the three mirrors just across from her room. "Eve, I love this dress! You think Brie will like it? You know she'll have to come get one too."

Eve nodded, watching as Nikki went back into the dressing room to put on her regular clothes. "You know she'll love it! We just gotta remember where we got it. We've got a zillion stores to go to still," she said, faking a happy tone. Honestly, she would rather be out with Melina, eating a nice lunch, getting hot and steamy in the shower before falling exhausted and mildly sweaty still in bed and sleep all afternoon. She sighed silently, thinking Jake owed her big time since she was out wasting her time with Nikki.

"I've never felt like this about anyone really Eve. Jake's everything I've ever wanted in a man and I know that I could be everything to him," she jabbered, pulling out different tops, looking at them, then putting them back. "I just have to tie up some loose ends of his past and we'll be perfect again." She smiled, turning to Eve before walking towards the counter with her newest dress. "It'll be perfect."

Eve nodded, voice gone. Nikki had to have meant Evan. Everyone knew that Evan and Jake were the best of friends and Jake would do anything for him. "What kind of loose ends?" she asked as soon as they walked out of the shop, pointing towards one just down the street.

"Well there's his place is Oklahoma. I want him to move out to Arizona with me, then we'll be living together and I won't have to worry about all the women out there." Nikki started, pushing open the next shops door. "Then we'll travel together and he won't have to wonder off to hang out with needy bitches that take up all his time." She giggled, looking at the beautiful dresses that were hanging around her. "I'm so glad you asked me to come up to LA. San Diego just doesn't have the same kind of boutiques."

Eve was fuming, knowing that Nikki was talking about Evan. She really wanted to hall off and punch Nikki right in her conceited face but decided against it so she wouldn't blow her cover. "I see," she said between gritted teeth. "And who are these needy people?" She tried to hold her composure for at least a little longer.

"Well Evan of course. It's like he doesn't function without Jake. I'm tired of having to split his time with someone like him." Nikki started sorting through the blue gowns before pulling out one for Eve. "It's like all he has to do is pick up the phone and call and no matter what Jake's doing he just gets up and leaves."

Eve bit her tongue, tasting blood. She looked over the dress and put it back. "Not my style," she forced out nicely, walking around the store, trying hard to keep up her act. "Jake and Evan have known each other for a long time though. They were in ECW all that time before being drafter over to Raw."

"Yeah, we saw them all the time but Evan didn't cling to him as much. Then again Evan was stuck on Matt Hardy then too," Nikki said, holding up a pink dress and giggling at Eve's disgusted face. "Don't like it?"

Eve shook her head. "Not at all," she whispered, letting Nikki turn around before she held up her hands ready to choke the life out of her. She sighed, rubbing her face with one hand, sure that hell had to be better than this.

* * *

Evan sighed, looking down at his phone. He tried not to cry as he looked over him and Jake laughing and joking one night at an ECW house show. They were still in their gear and sweaty but happy and definitely all smiles. He sighed again, rolling over and looking at the ceiling. He was tired of just laying around on Mike's bed but he really didn't have anything else to do. He didn't know anyone in LA besides Melina. Speaking of which she was calling, he noticed, looking down at the flashing lights. He hit talk.

"Hey Evan! It's Melina!"

"Hey," he whispered, really uncaring of the woman at that moment, the hotel incident still fresh in his mind.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out and get some coffee. I feel like there's a lot I have to explain to you from last week."

Evan's heart started to beat harder, the memory playing over in his head quickly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go out and risk making another scene in public or not. He decided that he had to face her eventually, they did work together and he couldn't hide from her for forever. "Sure," he muttered, sitting up. He threw the covers off, getting the direction to the coffee place from Melina before hanging up. He sighed slightly, looking around the room for some clothes for him to wear. He decided he would leave Mike a note after getting dressed and once it was written out he left it on the bedside table and leaving.

Evan's thoughts were his own as he walked down the street to the coffee shop; sure that Melina had lived on the other side of LA from Mike. He tried not to dwell on it as he made his way to the shop and inside. He looked around for Melina, finding her and walking over. "Hey," he whispered in greeting, sitting across from her.

She smiled, looking over the small male. "Hey," she returned, sipping at her coffee. "Evan, I wanted to apologize about the hotel. It wasn't the best way to go."

Evan looked up at her. "To do what?" he asked, his voice already in the stage of annoyance. He didn't want to sit there and listen to Melina try and explain everything to him like he was a child or like he was the one in the wrong. He didn't want anything to do with Jake or Eve anymore and that was final.

"To explain everything that's going on," she whispered, setting her mug down and looking at the remaining coffee. "Eve and Jake aren't dating. I wasn't lying when I said that Eve and I were together. Jake and Eve had this plan to work over Mike and some how get you two to break up since Mike was showing a big interest in Eve."

Evan looked down at his hands, that he'd placed on the table moments before. "I don't believe you…" he whimpered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't believe any of it."

Melina sighed. "What do I have to do to prove it to you Evan?" she asked, slumping down in her chair slightly. "It's not a joke to hurt you. You should know that Jake wouldn't do that to you. Look at how much he's done for you. He's always been there for you Evan. He wants you happy."

"Then why lie about Nikki?" he snapped back, the tears already threatening to fill his eyes. "Why would he let her be all over him after last weeks show?"

Melina tried not to smirk. Evan was trying to come around, at least listen to her. She reached out her hand for the younger man's. She knew Evan didn't want to believe it. She knew he wanted to just go on with his life and try and live it without getting hurt any more than he already had, everyone in the world was but that was part of life. "Evan babe," she whispered, once his hand was in hers, "I think that she's just jealous of you. She doesn't want to give him up because Jake told Eve that he'd broken things off and didn't want anything to do with her anymore."

Evan tried to deny it in his mind, tell himself that it wasn't true. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to trust anyone anymore. He just wanted to live his life without the constant nagging in the back of his mind of the other man and his confession. "Melina," he whimpered, looking up into her big brown eyes. "I can't… I can't compete with someone else for Jake. I can't live like that. If she wants him she can have him. I'm happy where I am." He tried to force out a smile, knowing that he was lying about most of it. He wasn't lying about living trying to compete with someone else for Jake's heart, but he wasn't happy and he didn't want to give Jake up to Nikki at all.

Melina sighed again, stroking the back of Evan's hand with the pad of her thumb. "Alright. If that's how you feel then I can't change it but you should think about how he feels. Jake really cares about you. Why else would he do this?" she asked, smiling softly. "He really cares Evan."

* * *

Jake was having no luck trying to find Mike in the crowds of LA. He looked around the crowded roads and sighed. If he felt like he was in a movie, it was now; small town boy in a giant city. He sighed again, feeling his pocket vibrate. He pulled it out and hit talk, answering with a quick hello as he tried to get away from the noise just enough to hear on his phone.

"Jake? You there man? It's Hennigan."

Jake was a little shocked to be hearing from John. "Yeah I'm here. What's up?" he asked, finding a mildly deserted area that he could hear. He smiled, seeing a small fountain that he could use as a seat to at least finish his phone conversation.

"I've heard that you were looking for Mike."

"Yeah. I want to talk to him," Jake answered, dipping a hand in the cool water. "Have you seen him at all?"

John was quiet for a moment. "No. Where are you?"

Jake looked around, trying to find signs to tell him where he actually was. "I have no clue. I'm sitting by a fountain with some angel figures on it. It's pretty deserted out here though."

John chuckled on the other end. "Alright. I'll be there in a few I know where you are."

Jake said he'd wait and his good byes before ending the call and thrusting his phone into his pocket. "Alright John. I'm waiting," he said, watching a few people walk by. He let his mind wonder and at the same time tried to keep it from wondering to Evan and how he was. He hoped that Jeff would ask him to come out to North Carolina with him for at least a little while.

"LA is not the place to be spacing out," John said after a few moments, startling Jake and causing him to jump.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "Where's Phil at?"

"In Chicago. He's got some stuff to do with his family. Anyway, why are you trying to talk to Mike?" he asked, sitting next to the other man. "I mean, he's not all that interesting."

"It's for Evan," Jake admitted, unafraid of talking about it. It wasn't like it could get much worse anyway. Evan already hated him and turned him down so there wasn't much else he could say against it.

"For Evan?" John questioned, looking over the other man. "I see. Mike's probably still beating on him, huh?" He could see the hurt in Jake's eyes and decided that it was true. "How's Evan doing?"

Jake shook his head unsure of how to even respond to John. "I don't know anymore, he hates me right now," he murmured, looking down at his feet.

"Well that's different," John said, leaning back slightly on the edge of the fountain. "Last I knew you had the hots for him. I mean being on Smackdown has it's pitfalls since I can't talk to you as much but I never thought that it would change."

Jake smirked. "It hasn't. I made a stupid plan that backfired in my face and when I told Evan how I felt he rejected me. I don't know what's going on anymore," he explained, deciding not to go into details. "All I know is that he's still with Mike and I can't get rid of my ex."

"So you finally dumped Nikki?" John asked, slightly amused. He was wondering how long it was going to take the other man to dump the second Bella.

"Well, I tried to. She just jumped on me in front of Evan, making it seem like I was lying to him about wanting to be with him," he explained, sighing. "I just wanted to talk to Mike to see what it was going to take to make him let Evan go."

John was quiet, knowing what it would take. "He wants me," he whispered, leaning forward, his hands clasped under his chin, his elbows resting on his knees. "Not to sound narcissistic but we all know that. Jake, I know you want Evan and I know he needs out but I can't leave Phil. I love him so much."

Jake smiled, resting a hand on John's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm not asking that much of you," he said, looking towards the sky, finding that it looked rather cloudy. "Could you do me a favor though?"

"What's that?"

"Could you talk to Mike and see why he's still dating Evan? He can have anyone in the business but he sticks to him," he said, taking his hand back and standing. "Even if Evan hates me right now, I don't want to see him hurt. I can find a replacement for him, hell I'd take all the shit Mike does to him for him. But I can't do it without your help."

John nodded. Even though he didn't want to speak to Mike to avoid the constant advances he had to help Jake out with Evan. After all, no one deserved to be his replacement or beat on the way Evan was.

* * *

Evan sighed, his meeting with Melina playing over and over in his mind. He didn't want to believe her or even let what she had said seep into his mind but it had and while he was trying to think of how the show was going to go the next night his mind constantly turned to the All American American. He turned over to his side on the big bed, curling up as tears entered his eyes. He finally gave up trying to ignore his thoughts of Jake and let them invade him mind as he closed his eyes.

He knew Jake had been sincere and honest when he'd said he loved him. A tear escaped the barrier of his closed eyes when he remembered how he'd completely denied it. He knew he had to have hurt Jake when he denied the confession but at the same time he didn't want to believe it himself. He opened his teary eyes and looked around the bedroom, finding that all he wanted to do was talk to someone other than Mike. He got up from the bed and looked around the floor for his thrown cell phone. He found it by the door and frowned.

Nearly a dozen calls had been missed while he'd had it on silent so he could ignore all forms of contact that came in after he'd gotten home from sitting and talking with Melina. He looked over the calls to see that Mike had called twice, Eve once, Kofi three times, Jake once, Melina once, and Jeff three times. He sighed, finding he had two voicemails that demanded his attention. He dialed his voicemail and waited, finding Jeff's first.

"Hey Evan! It's Jeff! Call me back so we can plan on when you're little butt's coming out to spend some time out here in North Carolina with me! Call me back and sometime today so don't ignore this until tomorrow or something! Love ya!"

Evan couldn't help but chuckle, Jeff was too funny not to. He smiled, finding he had the best friends anyone could ask for. He wasn't sure if he wanted to listen to the other one. He'd been skipping it since the night he'd gotten it, knowing it was from Jake. He bit his lower lip, knowing that he couldn't ignore it forever. He went to press play only to have Jeff's ring tone play just before his finger could get to the button. He was almost grateful. "Hey," he whispered, getting a cheery hello from the other end.

"Hey Evy! You didn't call me back," Jeff whined.

Evan smiled. "Yeah I just got the voicemail like two seconds ago," he replied, thinking about if he should go out to NC or not. IT could be what he needed after all, just some time away to clear his head.

"Well have you thought about when you're coming out?"

Evan nodded, his mind already set on that he needed a vacation. "Yeah. I'll fly out right after the show tomorrow. You gonna pick me up from the airport or am I gonna have to get lost again?" he asked, slightly chuckling, remembering when he'd told Jeff and Matt he'd find his way the last time he'd went up there. He'd gotten so lost that Matt had to search for almost two hours to find him and lead him to Jeff's place.

"I'll pick you up from the airport. Just text me the flight number and when you're going to land and I'll be there."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then Jeff," he said, giving his farewell's and reassuring Jeff that he would text the information. He smiled as he hung up thinking that maybe all he needed was to get away for a while. It was only a moment later that dread set in and he thought about what he'd agreed to. If he went to see Jeff that meant that he'd inevitably run into Matt. He sighed, a reminder of one unheard message on his screen. He wasn't sure what he was going to do.

* * *

(A/N): Poor Evan. He's so torn. So this chapter was pretty fun to write! I don't have too much to say so I hope everyone likes it and let me know what you think please! Title is Chasing Shadows by Deep Purple.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	7. Reality Rewind

_****_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 6**

* * *

_**Reality Rewind **_

Evan was sitting just outside the employee's only door behind the arena, his knees up to his chest. He was looking out at the rows and rows of cars, all of them glinting in the remaining bits of sunlight in the cool evening. A smile spread across his lips as a breeze whipped past him, causing him to shiver.

"I figured I'd find you out here," Eve whispered, sitting next to him. She didn't expect Evan to reply or even acknowledge that she was there as she looked out at the cars with him. "Melina sent me out here to talk to you."

Evan only nodded. He wasn't ignoring Eve or trying to be callous, he just didn't have anything to say to her. He kept his eyes on the cars, thinking about later that night. He had another match with Mike that night, but at that moment he wasn't really to into the idea of it.

"I'm sorry for last week at the hotel and I'm sorry that you thought that I had something for Jake," she started, her voice soft and caring. "Melina told she explained to you that it was just to make Mike jealous and possibly get him to leave you."

"He's not here yet," Evan murmured, letting his legs slip out straight in front of him.

"Who?"

"Jake. I haven't seen him."

Eve nodded, unsure if she should tell Evan that Jake had taken the day off so Evan wouldn't have to look at him. She took a moment to think before telling him, "He took today off. He had to do some things back in Oklahoma."

Evan nodded. "I see," he whispered downcast. In a way he was thankful, unsure if he'd be able to work around him or not. He looked over at Eve and softly smiled. "I'm sorry for jumping off the deep end with you and Jake. I was just upset and I let my head jump to conclusions before I thought about it."

Eve smiled, looking over at Evan and throwing her arms around him. "I'm so glad!" she whimpered, tears evident in her voice. "I was afraid you were going to hate me forever!" She pulled away and wiped at her few tears. "I missed you."

Evan chuckled, brushing away Eve's stray tears. "I could never hate you. I was just upset," he explained, running his hand through her hair. "I'm spending this week in North Carolina with Jeff."

Eve nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I said talk things over with him, not _**be**_ all over him."

Evan and Eve started to chuckle as they looked back and saw Melina standing there, hands on her hips.

"Don't worry Melina, my taste runs completely different," Evan said, earning a playful shove from Eve.

"I'm not good enough now? Not pretty enough?" she asked, getting up and wrapping her long arms around her girlfriend. "I see how it is." She sniffled falsely, looking over to find Melina was looking at her like she was a little child again.

Evan laughed, getting up as well. "You know I love you Eve, just not that way. You're my big sis and you aren't exactly manly. He laughed with the girls for a moment longer before heading inside to get ready. He was up first and he wanted to at least talk to Mike before they went out into the ring. He left the girls after a few minutes and headed out to talk to Mike before his promo with Ozzy and Sharon. He found the door and raised his hand to knock, not wanting to just barge in on Mike's locker room buddy. He stopped when he heard Nikki's voice loud and clear through the door.

"It looks like it's going great. Jake hasn't gone anywhere near that little dick toy and I talked to John yesterday. He said he was going to stop by sometime this week to see you. So we both win. Just keep Evan away from Jake until I get him wrapped around my little finger and I'll get you John or whoever you want on a silver platter," she said, laughing at the end.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you. Don't worry, I'll do whatever it takes to keep Evan away from him, as long as you keep up your end of the deal. And last week went prefect. Evan was in my bed squealing like a little whore after he saw you all over Jake," Mike replied, his voice nonchalant and uplifted. "Lets just see how this match goes tonight."

Evan wasn't as hurt as he thought he would be. He was too pissed off. He turned from the door and stormed into his own that he was sharing with Kofi. "Where's Hunter?" he asked, looking away just as Kofi was pulling on his tights. He thought that he should've at least knocked to let Kofi know he was coming in, but it hadn't crossed his mind.

"Down the hall with Shawn, where else?" he asked, turning to see Evan storm out before he could even get another word out.

Evan felt his blood boil as he knocked heavily on the door of DX's locker room. "Hunter I need to talk to you," he called, letting them know it was him outside.

Hunter was the one to open the door, looking down at Evan a little unsure of what had gotten into the smaller man. The Evan he knew was always sweet and calm and completely soft-spoken, he very rarely yelled at all. "What is it?" he asked, closing the door behind him. "Shawn's in the shower."

Evan nodded. He didn't need an explanation of why he wasn't invited in. He really didn't care, after all it wasn't his locker room and therefore it was none of his business. "I need you to make a suggestion to Ozzy tonight. I know that it's planned that I have a match with Mike but could you somehow bring up a title shot?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't want the belt really. It's more of a payback thing."

Hunter smirked, finding that one of the newer additions to RAW was a little spitfire. "Hey, I don't ask questions about 'why' you want it. I'll bring it up but it's all up to Ozzy to say it's for the title," he explained, resting a hand on Evan's shoulder. "I'll do my best through. Mike needs to come down a peg or two anyway."

Evan smirked, nodding at Hunter. "I'll see you later then. I should go get warmed up while I have the time," he said, thanking Hunter before walking away. He made his way back to the locker room he was sharing with Kofi, finding the other man warming up on his own. "Sorry for just snapping at you," he whispered, giving Kofi enough room to warm up before he started his own.

Kofi turned to face Evan before continuing. "Someone must have pissed you off completely," he said, stretching upwards and groaning happily. "Or pissed on you."

Evan couldn't help but start to laugh. It was rare for Kofi to make crude or strange jokes but when he did, they were normally hidden cleverly in how he spoke. "That's just wrong Kofi," he chuckled, sitting down to stretch out his legs. "I just needed to talk to Hunter about a little pay back."

Kofi nodded, smirking. "Must be Mike again," he mused, watching as Evan finished stretching out. "Seems like you're getting ready to get a new man."

Evan stopped, his eyes set hard on his feet. "I don't know," he whispered, looking up at Kofi. He smiled, deciding to change the subject. "You found anyone yet?"

Kofi shook his head. "I got a lot more to worry about than getting a girlfriend," he said smiling. "I mean, I definitely wouldn't mind having one."

Evan nodded. "Sometimes I think women are easier than men," he muttered, warning a snicker from the other man. "What's so funny?" He looked over at Kofi, tilting his head to one side.

"Believe me, women are hard to understand too. Stick to men Evan, I bet you they are easier the handle than women, especially when they hit that one week a month. Oh well, we should get out there, at least see where things are," Kofi explained before ushering him and Evan out to one of the sitting areas with televisions. "Good luck tonight against Mike."

Evan nodded, smiling. "Thanks. Hey Kofi can I ask a question?" he asked, looking down at his boots before looking up into the dark eyes of his friend.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Do you think love is meant for everyone? Not to sound like a total bitch, but do you really think it exists?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking to the floor.

Kofi thought for a second. "I don't think there is love per se, just these really strong feelings that you have for people and you want to protect them, listen to them, be with them and it evolves over time into love," he said, thinking hard. "That's my over time idea. I don't think there is love at first sight really, just a big attraction."

Evan nodded. "I see," he whispered, looking back up into the dark brown eyes. "Thanks Kofi. We'll I'm up, I'll see you in later, good luck in your match." He slapped hands with the ebony man and made his way to the curtains, ready to go out there and take out his anger on his boyfriend. "I'm not some dick toy and I'm not some replacement." He was rumbling to himself when he saw Cody, Paul, and Ted walked in, laughing with each other as soon as they passed the black curtain.

"Man Evan, Ozzy fucked your name up," Ted said, wrapping an arm around Cody. "I hope you beat him though." His eyes flickered over Evan's chest, their past coming to mind. His cheeks flashed a bit of pink while he walked away with the other two.

Hunter and Shawn were the next to enter, laughing with Sharon and Ozzy.

"Got the match," Hunter said, stopping while the others left him. "Don't feel bad about the name though, Sharon called Kofi, Cody. Rhodes almost started laughing right there in the middle of the whole thing. Good luck out there tonight." He patted Evan on the shoulder before smiling and walking away to join up with his partner.

Evan was ready. He knew Mike was out there and he knew that the US title was on the line. It felt like his freedom was on the line too, at least in a way that he would be free from Mike and his abuse. If he won he'd have one up on the man and maybe it would give him the confidence to leave or at least start to break free from their relationship. He heard his music and smirked, he wasn't leaving without that title or at least putting up one hell of a fight for it.

When Evan's music hit he ran out, throwing up his peace signs and trying hard to get the fans involved with him. He yelled and waved, trying to boost up their cheers, knowing he was the favorite to win in this match, after all even if Mike was supposed to be a heel on stage, Evan liked the support even in the fans didn't know his personal life. "Lets go." He slapped hands with a few people before setting his eyes on Mike. Those dark blue eyes were furious, and set on him. He smirked, giving away that that he'd been the one to arrange the title shot and not just a random slip of the tongue.

Mike's eyes followed Evan while he moved down the ramp and up to the ring, touching more hands before jumping up to the stage and giving his normal display. He growled. He was going to seriously hurt Evan for this. He'd known that smile anywhere and he wasn't just going to let it go like that.

Evan's smile fell, a serious expression setting in when he turned to look at Mike. He got into the ring and kept his eyes on Mike. He wasn't going to turn his back on the other man with the way he was pacing. He knew that he'd pushed enough buttons to really piss the other man off and he smiled about it. He walked over to the first ring post and climbed up to the middle rope before holding up one of his final peace signs and pulling his shirt off. He threw it into the crowd.

Mike watched as Evan jumped down, handing over his title and letting the smaller man tug on the ropes and get completely ready for their match. "You're not getting off that easy," he muttered, shivering with anger, the music in the background still playing doing nothing to help his mood. He waited in the corner, his arms slung lazily over the ropes. He kept his eyes off of Evan, knowing he'd run over there and attack if he didn't calm down a little.

Evan's face twisted into a hateful sneer. "Look at me!" he snapped, looking up at the referee to see him signal the bell. He walked forward, his back slumped forward slightly and stiff. He couldn't help but let his mouth engage before his brain did when he looked at the sour look on Mike's face. "I'm a dick toy huh? Just some kind of amusement for you? I'm not backing down and that little bitch can't keep me from Jake!" He was angry and he wasn't going to let it slide.

Mike's face scrunched up more, his lips puckered out as his eyes narrowed. He circled Evan just slightly before crouching down slightly. "Really now?" he asked, waving his hands for Evan to bring it on. He moved forward, taking a chance and kicking Evan in the lower stomach. "Get up!" He waited for Evan to start to get up before he ran his knee right into the other man's face and took a few steps away.

Evan reached for the ropes, holding the side of his face. He looked up to see that angered face and he knew Mike wasn't wrestling like they were supposed to, he was trying to seriously hurt him. He waited, unsure of what Mike was going to do until saw Mike's foot collide with his ribs and they started to scream in pain. He gasped for a breath, only seeing a knee coming towards him. He didn't have time to move and before he knew it that knee was forcing this throat into the bottom rope.

Mike smiled, pushing harder until the count hit four and he let go, the ref telling him to get off the ropes. He backed up, looking down at Evan. He smirked, looking at the crowd before looking back down at Evan. "That all you got?" he asked, reaching down and slapping Evan. "My little dick toy."

Evan growled, holding onto the ropes as he kicked out and hit Mike in the back of his leg. "Shut up!" he snapped, earning a kick to his face again. This one sent him to the canvas, and another kick came and another and another. He tried to cover up but just as he got into the right position Mike's foot started pushing against his neck, a knee in his shoulder.

"Look at you on the ground all the time," Mike taunted, pulling back before the count of five. "What a slut." He watched Evan get up. She smirked, sending him to the other side of the ring.

Evan flung back, knowing what was coming. He wasn't going to let Mike throw him over and he stopped, trying to reverse it so he sent the bigger man over.

Mike's deep snicker rumbled in his throat as he punched Evan right under the rib cage, taking his breath. "It's not going to make a difference," he whispered changing his arms and going again for his intended move.

Quicker than he thought, Evan jumped up to the top rope and wrapped his legs around Mike's neck, swinging them around and sending Mike into the middle of the ring while he tried to catch his breath. "What was that?" he asked as he got to his feet. He smiled, jumping and doing a spinning back kick so his leg smashed against Mike's face. "Who's the bitch now?" He hurried to his feet, watching as Mike rolled out of the ring. He launched himself over the top rope and right into Mike, his knees right in the soft spot of the shoulders.

Mike laid there, letting Evan pick him up. He was pushed into the ring and for a moment he laid there, his arms tingling and almost on the verge of being numb. He was a little dazed from the fall but when he felt his leg being lifted he kicked out, looking up to see the ref holding up two fingers. It was a close call and he couldn't afford another one.

"Don't be stubborn!" Evan snapped quietly, rolling Mike into another cover with their arms locked. He growled, Mike kicking out on that one in just the nick of time. He got up and kicked Mike right in the side, taking all the frustration he felt out on him. He wasn't some toy to be played with and then neglected. He had feelings, he had needs and when he'd heard about Nikki and Mike's little deal, he reverted back to who he was before him and Mike, at least slightly.

Mike groaned, letting Evan try and fling him into the other side. He stopped and let Evan go, pulling him in when he came back so his knee collided with Evan's gut. He knew he couldn't win on brute force alone. Evan was too fired up and too angry to let himself get pinned. He smirked, he'd have to resort to mind games. "Like normal, your ass in the air like a little whore," he growled, holding onto the ropes and looking down at Evan.

Evan looked up, watching as those big hands grabbed his hair and yanked him up. He felt his arm being lifted over Mike's shoulders and he expected a suplex. Sudden pain racked through him as he hit the top rope. He gasped for air, the force of the drop taking all he had in his lungs. He gasped for a moment before falling back inside the ring.

Mike looked down on Evan. "Look at you," he muttered, just watching as Evan rolled onto his back and then to his side. "Always on the ground below everyone else. That's all you're good for Evan." Once Evan was about to get to his knees he kicked him across the chest, missing his mark of the chest. "You're useless!"

Evan rolled away, hoping for at least a little time to recover. Once again he was pulled up only this time Mike locked his arm back and pulling him up so his back was almost bent at a 90-degree angle. He cried out, the pain only doubled by the fact that Mike was wrenching his arm back almost to the point of breaking it.

"You're screaming like a little bitch Evan. Like you always do when I fuck you into the mattress. Are you gonna quit? Are you gonna stop this stupid match?" he asked, pulling even harder.

"No!" Evan screeched, the ref telling every one that he was saying no to the submission. Evan wasn't even thinking about the match. He knew that Mike was playing games with his head and at that moment it was working. He was trying to motivate himself to get up and fight back somehow. He tried to pull away, giving his shoulder some type of relief. He pulled one foot upwards and started his trek to the rope to finish breaking the hold. He reached, only to feel the sharp pain in his side from Mike's elbow. "I'm not going to lose to you!"

"Really Evan?" he asked, reaching between Evan's legs for his arm and pulling him up to throw backwards.

Evan shifted his weight and as they went back he stayed in front of Mike. They landed and he reached for Mike's leg, ready to pin him for a cover. "Really Mike," he retorted, the count getting to two before Mike kicked out of it. He rolled and kicked out, catching the back of Mike's leg again and making his stumble. "I'm not giving up." He grabbed Mike by the head.

Mike was ready for it and punched out, causing Evan to let go and double over in pain. He crawled after Evan on his knees and hit him again before getting up and setting up for another suplex.

Evan brought his knee down on Mike's head, making the other man lose his grip and let Evan slip down to safety. He watched as Mike dropped to his knees and get to the ropes before getting up and running towards him. Evan smirked, dropping down and rolling Mike up for another two count.

"You'll never win," Mike accused, getting up. "And Jake will only use you like I have."

That was it. Evan felt his whole body shake. He jumped up just as Mike was getting to his feet and brought a knee right into Mike's throat. "You don't know him at all!" He walked back, getting ready for another move. He smiled, running towards Mike only to miss and jump up to the second rope. He turned, jumping back and delivering a kick to the back of Mike's head. He hurried to make a cover, completely silent. It only made a two count. "Just stay down!" he snarled, grabbing Mike's head under his arms.

"Not in your life," he retorted, grabbing Evan's head and slamming down so their skulls collided, hurting Evan more than him. He stumbled back before running towards Evan. His head snapped to the side as a small boot collided with his chin.

The momentum sent Evan over the turnbuckle and up to the top ropes. He stood up slowly, his legs tired and a bit wobbly. He looked down at Mike and for the first time in their relationship he felt bigger than the other man. He jumped, executing a perfect shooting star press before landing on his feet after catching a glimpse of Mike moving out of his way. A stinging pain shot up his legs, the canvas showing no mercy.

Mike smiled, he knew he could turn things around when Evan started running towards him. He hooker their arms and sent Evan into the turnbuckles, watching as he hit the canvas hard. He got up, grabbing Evan in a full nelson before ending it with his finisher. He rolled Evan over and pinned him for the three count.

Evan laid there, feeling even more defeated than he had. He looked at the crowd, wondering what he'd been thinking that made him even want to try and win the title. He got up after a few moments and made his way to the back. Once behind the curtain Eve and Melina enveloped him in a hug. He slumped in their arms, Eve brushing down his sweaty hair with her hands while Melina held most of his weight up and whispered that it was ok to him.

"I'll be ok," he whispered, pulling away with a broken smile. "I have a plane to catch so I have to go get ready." He went back to his locker room, finding it empty. He was secretly glad and went to work getting ready for his flight. He took a quick shower before leaving the arena completely. He pulled out his phone and looked at the text he had. He smirked, the text from Jeff, reminding him that if he wasn't on that flight Jeff was going to hunt him down and kick his ass.

* * *

Jeff was waiting anxiously at the airport, looking at the exit for Evan's flight, knowing that it should be landing in the next few minutes. He hoped that Evan would recognize him with his short hair. After a few more minutes of looking around the crowded airport he saw the smaller man and ran to him, wrapping him into a bear hug. "Evan! I missed you!" he cried, pulling away and leading Evan away to his car. "So, tell me what's been going on while I've been gone? Matt only tells me so much and it's always about Smackdown, I never hear about RAW."

Evan tried not to laugh as Jeff took his luggage and threw it into the trunk. He opened the passenger door and got in, listening to Jeff as he jabbered on about everything that had been going on with him while he was off. He tried not to seem like he was in pain from the match he'd had with Mike. He knew that he was bruised up a bit more than usual but he didn't want Jeff to worry about it.

"How's things going with Mike?" he asked, looking over to the other man, smiling softly. "He still hitting you?"

Evan sighed, he knew he shouldn't have told Jeff about any of it. "I'm ok. We're doing better. I promise," he lied, faking a smile. "How's Matt?" He bit his lower lip, knowing that he shouldn't be asking.

Jeff sighed, looking over at Evan before looking back at the road. "He's doing ok. He's single again. Him and Adam broke up a while ago, so ya know, if you wanna get back together with him," he hinted, earning a playful shove. "Hey, it hurt him just as much as it hurt you when you broke up."

Evan shook his head, leave it to Jeff to try and play matchmaker while he was over. "You never change," he said, laughing. He was quiet the rest of the ride to Jeff's place, just taking in the scenery. He'd never really been out of the city for long and actually being in the middle of nowhere kind of scared him still. He remembered being out here with Matt a few times but he always had the other man to keep him company and assure him that he wasn't going to get hurt or lost. It was a painful to remember how happy he'd been with Matt and how hurt he was when they'd broken things off but he didn't want to avoid all the sweet memories they had made together. "Is he home?"

Jeff shook his head. "He shouldn't be. He normally leaves early and relaxes when he gets there. So he shouldn't be back until Saturday and by that time you'll be on your way back home before the next show," he said, pulling onto a country road.

Evan nodded. That took a little pressure off of him. If he didn't have to look at or talk to Matt it would make the entire week so much easier for him.

Jeff pulled into the driveway and smiled. "Home sweet home!" he said proudly, getting out and inhaling deeply. "There's no place like it!"

Evan smiled, looking around before his eyes landed on Matt's corvette. "J-Jeff?" he stuttered, looking back to see that Jeff was pulling his luggage out. "Jeff!" He hurried back to the trunk, his eyes hard on Jeff, his body shaking. He hadn't seen Matt since they had split, how was he supposed to even be around him now?

"What?" Jeff asked, looking up from the bags and up at Evan.

"You said Matt was gone," he whimpered, looking towards the black car. "You promised." He tried not to whine, knowing that Jeff could do it just as good back.

"I didn't promise anything, he's probably just here to borrow something," Jeff replied, grabbing the bag and throwing it over his shoulder and walking towards the door. "Well don't just stand there."

Evan followed Jeff, trying hard to swallow around the lump in his throat. He hoped that he could get through one meeting, after all, Matt wouldn't want to talk to him, would he?

"C'mon it's been over a year. You two should at least say hi to each other." Jeff smiled closing his trunk and leading Evan inside. "Matt?" he called, walking in the door. "Where are you at?"

"I'm upstairs, give me a minute and I'll be down," Matt yelled back. "Where's that shirt you said I could borrow earlier. I was gonna wear it tonight since Shannon invited me out."

Evan's body shook. He looked at his bag as he started up the stairs on Jeff's back. "Wait!" he whispered roughly, looking around for a moment before running after Jeff. "Jeff!" He bit his lower lip, walking close behind Jeff as they made their way down the hall and into the guest room. He felt himself relax as he stepped in and away from the door. He didn't think it was going to be that hard to even be in the same place as Matt.

"Where'd you go?" Matt asked, his footsteps getting closer. "Jeff? This isn't cool. You know I have enough trouble trying to find you without having to go through your house."

"I'm in the guest room that's all," Jeff called, earning a desperate shove from Evan. "What?" He shrugged, eyes wide on Evan. "Are you that scared?"

Evan nodded, looking down at his feet. "I'm not ready to see him yet." He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's not gonna be happy to see me Jeff." He looked up, sighing. "Please Jeff…"

"Hey, who'd you bring home? No one ever uses this…" Matt's voice faded when he entered the room, his chocolate eyes landing on Evan's small body and secretly afraid look on his face. "E-Evan," he murmured, looking to Jeff and back to Evan. His heart thudded hard in his chest his mind sending him back to when him and Evan had been dating. "I gotta go."

Jeff hurried after Matt, meeting him on the steps. "Don't do this Matt," he snapped harshly, yanking the other man back to him. "He needs us, especially you right now."

"Did you see his face? He's terrified to be here with me Jeff. How could you bring him here and trick me like that?" Matt accused angrily. "He doesn't want to see me obviously and I can't handle him being here."

Jeff's eyes narrowed, his mouth pursing slightly. "Grow the fuck up Matt, you broke it off with him knowing that it was going to hurt you both. He's here and that's final. You can deal with it or stay home alone." He turned, a soft hand on his arm.

"Jeff… you know what he means to me. I can't risk making the same mistakes," Matt admitted, looking up at his brother. "I don't want to hurt him and I don't want to get hurt either. Is that so hard to believe?"

Jeff sighed, leaning against the wall on the steps. "Both of you are so difficult," he muttered.

Matt sighed, his eyes flickering over to the guest room's door. They widened when he saw Evan standing there, almost cowering against the frame. His heart lurched and all he wanted to do was go up there and apologize for everything and hold him. "Evan…."

* * *

(A/N): Well that was a long chapter. I'm actually chopping this chapter in two because it is so long. I normally have at least something to say but right at this moment I don't. The next half of the chapter will be up soon since I'm about to start working on it. I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you think. Title is Reality Rewind by Aberration.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	8. Falling In Slow Motion

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 7**

* * *

_**Falling In Slow Motion**_

Evan was sitting shotgun next to Jeff as they made their way out with Matt to a local sports bar to meet up with Shannon and possibly Greg. He was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, unsure if he was going to fit in with the others or not. He'd met Shannon a few times while he'd been with Matt, but he hadn't really formed much of a relationship with him and Greg… he hadn't talked to him since they'd called off their little sex sessions. "Maybe I should've stayed back at the house," he whispered, breaking the heavy silence that had been around him and Jeff since they had left.

Jeff looked over at Evan, knowing that he was uncomfortable. "I didn't want to leave you there alone. Remember the last time?" he asked, thinking of the very last time Evan had been over and they had went into the woods to shoot each other with paintball guns. It took almost four hours to find Evan and when they finally did he was so scared and upset that he'd refused to go anywhere near the woods without one of them with him.

Evan slightly groaned. He didn't want to think about it. "Do I at least look ok?" he asked after a few more minutes of silence. He didn't think he looked to bad in a T-shirt and black jeans but then again St. Louis was completely different than Cameron.

"You look great as always Ev," Jeff replied, resting a hand on the other man's knee. "I promise, it's going to be ok. We're just gonna sit and talk and eat. If anything you can actually have a conversation with Shannon without Matt interrupting you two every two seconds." He was teasing Evan and he could see that it was helping him out. "Don't worry about the others. Greg probably won't pay too much attention but that's normal."

Evan nodded, feeling a little better but his stomach still felt like it was going to flip over a few more times just in spite. "Okay." He looked up when they stopped. "Jeff do me a favor okay?" he asked, stopping the other man before he could get out.

"Yeah, what is it?" Jeff asked, turning the car off.

"Don't leave me alone with Matt," he murmured, biting his lower lip. "I don't want it to be anymore awkward than it is." He looked up with a small smile and let Jeff get out. He followed suit, watching as Matt pulled up in his own Corvette alone. His eyes wouldn't leave the dark haired man as he got out of the car.

Matt looked up, his eyes meeting with Evan's. He felt his lips turn up into a smile when he looked over the other man. He walked up to him, wanting to say something to make up for what he'd said at the house, knowing Evan had hurt. "I'm sorry about what happened at the house," he murmured, looking down at his sneakers before looking back up at Evan. "I didn't mean it like it sounded."

Evan nodded. "It's ok," he returned, his voice soft. "I was feeling the same way." He looked up into the dark eyes. "Well, you ready?"

Matt nodded, wrapping an arm around Jeff, who had stayed behind with them. "Lets kill some hot wings and watch the game," he announced, entering the doors to see Shannon sitting at a table alone.

"About time you fuckers got here, I was starting to think you were standing me up," Shannon said, walking over to them and leading them back over. "Hey, it's Evan. I haven't seen you around in a while. How're you doing?"

Evan smiled, knowing that he could never forget Shannon, after all he was one of the most unique people he'd ever met. "I'm doing pretty good," he said and for once he didn't feel like he was lying. "How've you been?"

"Eh, the usual, same stuff as normal. Tattooing is my life right now. I keep trying to talk Matt into one but he keeps chickening out," Shannon said, leaning back in his chair a bit. "You don't have any tats do you?"

Evan shook his head.

"You need to come by the shop and I'll give you a good one. It's not too bad really, a little painful but I've had worse body slams. Isn't that right Jeff?" Shannon asked, reaching across the table and patting Jeff's tattooed arm.

"Depends on where it is really," Jeff corrected, thinking about the one on his back and the one on his neck compared to his arm. "This one wasn't too bad, now the one on my back hurt like a bitch."

Even chuckled. "You must get a lot of business now," he said, looking over to the blond. "Since you've been open a while now."

"You have no idea!" Shannon exclaimed, slapping the table. "It's a mad house most days. All except Thursday's. For some reason Thursday's are pretty slow but Friday's make up for it. Hey, since you're here you should talk Matt into getting his first one. I keep telling him it'll be on the house but he doesn't listen to me." He shook his head, thinking over his tattoo parlor's business. "Oh I hope you guys don't mind. Since you took so long I ordered the wings and drinks. Greg isn't going to show so it's the four of us."

The night wore on and all of them were having a good time and for a little while Evan forgot about all the troubles he was having in his personal life and was happy. He didn't expect it but he was actually getting comfortable being around Matt, but he was almost sure that it was from the help of all the beer they had.

"Jeff, can you drive me home?" Shannon asked, looking at his watch before downing the rest of his drink. "I can barely see straight, I'm not gonna be able to drive like this."

Jeff looked at Shannon before laughing. He shook his head telling the smaller man he'd take him home when a thought struck him. He'd promised he wouldn't leave Evan with Matt.

"Don't worry, Matt'll get me home in one piece," Evan slurred, smiling happily as he reaching his hand out and laid it on Matt's softly. He hiccupped and giggled.

Jeff gave Matt a helpless look. "What are we doing hanging around with these light weights?" he asked, ruffling Evan's short hair before getting up and helping Shannon to the register and then the car.

Matt pulled his hand away so he could stand. He helped Evan to his feet and walked him out. They stumbled a bit in the parking lot and Evan slammed right into his chest. His heart started to beat rapidly in his chest as he looked down into the glossy brown eyes. "You okay?" he asked, mouth suddenly dry.

"I always am with you," Evan whispered, smiling.

Matt nodded, turning and making their way to his car. He sighed once he got Evan in and buckled up. He wanted nothing more than to kiss Evan back when they'd stumbled but he didn't want to push anything with the smaller superstar. He was the one to break it off and he was the one who'd found someone else before Evan had. Matt shook his head, getting into the car and starting it.

"Can I ask a question?" Evan asked, closing his eyes so the lights of the other driver's headlights and street lamps would stop hurting.

"What's that Evan?" Matt waited, taking a glance over to his passenger seat before smiling warmly. There was Evan, sleeping sounding curled up slightly on his side. "You're still so beautiful Evan, like a fallen angel."

* * *

Evan woke up the next morning with a headache the size of Alaska. He wasn't nauseas or had any other side affect of a hangover, just the headache. He groaned, smelling the cooking from down stairs. He peeked out from under his covers, wondering how he'd gotten there. He sighed, throwing the covers off and getting up. He was still in the same clothes as the night before, he noticed as he stood up. The wrinkles started to loosen as he moved around the room to change. He stripped and just pulled on a pair of long gym shorts he had packed with a black tank top. He knew he looked like hell and he wasn't trying to impress Jeff so he didn't think too much about it.

He stumbled to the stairs and took them easily; the bobbing of his head only making it hurt more. He walked into the kitchen and smiled, Jeff was working over the stove, making a delicious breakfast. "I love you," he said, taking a set at the island in the middle of the room and rested his head on his crossed arms.

Jeff turned around with a smile. "I bet you do," he snickered, dipping into the pan for the bacon and setting it over to the side. "How'd you sleep?"

Evan shrugged. "It was ok. I don't remember getting up to the bed. I remember passing out in Matt's car though," he whispered, thinking of the night before and how he'd fallen right into Matt. He hid his face, knowing that his cheeks were staining pink.

"I carried you up there."

Evan's head shot up, his head aching and pulsing harder than it had all morning. His eyes met with the dark ones of his former lover, hair wet and a towel draped over his shoulders. He swallowed hard, his mouth going dry as he looked over the expansive chest and down Matt's flat stomach to the hem of his jeans. He was quiet, unsure of what to say to Matt. He turned back to Jeff, trying to kick away the images of Matt in the shower.

"Don't you have to run out the Greg's today?" Matt asked, turning his attention to Jeff. He was hoping to get Evan alone to talk to him, something he'd seen after he'd put the younger man to bed really bothering him.

Jeff cursed, turning the stove off and setting the food on the island so they could start eating. "Yeah, I gotta go out there and get a few things from him. I totally forgot all about it," he muttered, sitting down and digging into his bacon and eggs.

Evan ate a little breakfast before helping Jeff clean up the kitchen. "You're really leaving?" he asked, handing the wet dishes for Jeff to dry and put away.

"I have to. Greg doesn't like to come out here because he gets lost sometimes. I mean you could go with me if you want," he suggested, earning a glare from the other man. "I mean, you'll pretty much have the house to yourself. You'll be ok. I won't be gone that long. I promise."

Evan nodded, thinking about being alone. He really didn't like the idea of it but it was better than going over to Greg's house and being even more uncomfortable than he was with Matt. "Okay," he murmured, handing the last dish to Jeff and pulling the plug to the sink. He dried his hands and made his way into Jeff's living room. He sighed as he sat on the couch, leaning over to rest his head, the headache taking a turn for the worst and turning into a migraine.

Matt smiled as he walked into the living room, now fully dressed in a T-shirt and his jeans with his dark hair pulled back. He walked over to Evan, those beautiful eyes he loved so much closed in pain. He reached out, his hand shaking slightly, and began to run his fingers over the silky strands of Evan's hair, gently messaging the other man's scalp.

"Feels good," Evan groaned, leaning into the touch, his headache easing up slightly. He moved closer to Matt's hand, his eyes easing open. He smiled, trying to ignore the aching in his heart. "I miss this."

Matt's cheeks started to turn pink. "I miss it too," he whispered, letting his mouth move before he'd even thought about it. He bit his lower lip, Evan moving away from him. He watched as the other man got up and started to walk away. "Evan, please don't walk away."

Evan stopped, wrapping his arms around himself. He kept his back to Matt as he tried to find the words to tell Matt that he couldn't be near him like that. He didn't want to bring up that it was Matt that had walked away first. He didn't want to throw that in his face. "I can't," he finally whispered, turning to look at Matt, tears in his eyes. "I can't handle it."

Matt stood, walking over and pulling Evan into his arms. "Ev," he whispered, holding Evan closer. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He felt the warm tears on his chest and sighed. "C'mon, we're going over to my house."

Evan looked up, unsure of what to say. He wanted to protest, tell Matt that it wasn't a good idea. He didn't want to fall into bed with Matt, not with so much already on his mind. "Matt?" he questioned, following behind the older man, his hand taken warmly and tenderly in Matt's. "Why?"

Matt opened the door for Evan. "We need to talk and it would be better if we were alone," he explained, motioning for Evan to get into the car. "Please."

Evan nodded, getting in. He pushed all cries of his brain for him to stop back, knowing that it had been too long and that while they had parted on rocky terms didn't mean they couldn't have a conversation. He was silent the entire way, watching Matt's hands tighten around the steering wheel until his knuckles were white before loosening his grip and starting over. "What are you worried about?" he asked, reaching over and resting light fingers one of Matt's hands.

Matt looked over at Evan, sighing. "We'll talk about all of it when we get to the house," he roughly muttered, mentally slapping himself for dragging Evan out of Jeff's house like that for his own selfish reasons. When he pulled into the driveway he sighed, getting out of the car and walking over to Evan. He took Evan's hand in his and led him inside and to the couch. "Are you thirsty?"

Evan shook his head as he sat down. "I'm fine. What's going on Matt?" He was getting worried, the only other time he'd seen Matt so restless was the day they'd broken everything off. "Matt?" he asked again, reaching out and taking Matt's hand in his. He led him to sit next to him on the couch and tried to force out a smile. "Calm down."

Matt just stared longingly into Evan's eyes for several moments before getting up and covering his face with his hands. He didn't know how was going to explain it to Evan, hell he didn't know how to even bring it up. He walked away from Evan, knowing he would do something stupid if he stayed there with him.

"Matt!" Evan called, chasing after the other man, finding him right next to the hot tub on the back deck. "Matt…." He moved closer, reaching out and resting a hand on the back of Matt's arm. "You haven't been this upset since we broke up."

Matt sighed, gripping the side of the tub harder with his hands. "You wanna go for a dip?" he asked, forcing out a smile as he turned around.

Evan nodded. If he couldn't get Matt to talk about it anywhere else, he could get him to talk about it in the hot tub. This was Matt's haven, his go to place whenever he needed to think or be alone. "I don't have any trunks," he replied softly, a small blush coming across his cheeks.

Matt's cheeks flushed too, completely forgetting that fact. "You don't have to wear any. I mean we're in the middle of the woods, no one is going to see," he encouraged, looking out along the deck to see the trees and clouds. "It's just me and you."

That made Evan's heart lunge in his chest. He bit his lower lip, knowing that it was only him and Matt and it could lead to more than just a nude dip in the hot tub.

"I'll go get some towels so you can get in. I'll be right back," Matt said hurriedly, before walking away from Evan and back inside the house. He didn't look back, trying not to think about Evan naked in his hot tub like many of their excursions or the fact that he had dark bruises.

Evan waited for a moment as he looked into the bubbling water. It made him think of Jake on the night that he'd said he'd loved him. He sighed, remembering when he'd walked in thinking how nice the Jacuzzi would feel on his aching muscles only to find the other man there, swimming naked. His mind switched from that to when him and Matt were dating and how many of their long nights filled with love-making normally started there in the hot tub. He sighed, pulling off his shirt and letting it fall at his feet. Taking a deep breath of the open air he smiled, for once being able to remember Matt and their memories without crying. He slipped off his shorts and boxers and kicked them away from the tub and towards the deck chair where they normally laid their towels. He slipped into the warm water and sighed, his muscles thanking him and loosening up almost immediately.

Matt returned silently, setting the towels on the chair Evan's clothes were under. He looked at the other man, those beautiful eyes shut in relaxation, a smile gracing his lips. He pulled off his shirt and walked over, smiling as he leaned on the edge of the tub. "Feel a little better?" he asked, chuckling at how Evan jumped and those brown eyes looked back at him. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Evan shook his head. "I'm fine," he said, watching as Matt got in and sat across from him. "I feel like a pervert."

Matt's mouth dropped, trying to form words. "Why?" he finally asked, stretching his arms out over the edge and relaxing back.

Evan felt the blush creeping across his face. "Because I'm naked and you have a bathing suit on," he whispered, looking down at the water, his knees up close to his chest.

Matt chuckled, forcing his own blush away. "Oh… I could take mine off too," he suggested with a smile. "Just um… close your eyes."

Evan nodded, covering his face with his hands. "It's not like I've never seen you naked before," he said, mentally slapping himself. He didn't want to make Matt uncomfortable and with his motor mouth he was making himself uncomfortable.

A splash from one side his Evan in the face as Matt slid back into the water with a chuckle. "Then you know I'm shy about it," Matt replied, getting close and gently removing Evan's hands from his face. "You didn't peek did you?"

Evan shook his head, his heart racing.

Matt smiled as he pulled away and sat back in his spot across from Evan. It was hard for him to back off of the other man, everything in him telling him to just lean in and kiss those soft lips and just take him back. "Jeff told me about Mike," he finally said after a few minutes of silence between them. "He better be happy that he's on Raw and we never see each other."

Evan was still quiet.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you," Matt whispered, crossing his arms over his chest and sighing. "Jeff told me and I didn't believe a word of it. I never thought someone could hit you or hurt you. You're too precious."

Evan looked up at Matt and sighed. "I must not be precious enough," he muttered, crossing his own arms and looking out into the woods. "After all, you left me too."

Matt was silent as he watched Evan sit there. He moved closer to Evan, making his way between Evan's legs and cupping his face with both hands. "I never wanted to leave you Evan," he explained solemnly. "I did it because of all the stress it was putting on you. I saw you once maybe twice a week or at the superstars show once in a while but I never spent time with you and it was showing. After we were moved from ECW it was hell for me. I wanted to be with you, see you but I couldn't. You were busy over there. Evan I never wanted us to break up. I love you so much. That's why it hurts so much to see you like this, with all those bruises on your sides, your hips. I'm so sorry." He sighed, hugging Evan close to him, their lower halves far enough away that they weren't touching. "I love you Evan."

Evan's heart ached. If he'd heard these words before he'd have left Mike and went back to Matt. He would've worked with their schedules to allow more time to be together. Hell, he'd move closer so they wouldn't have to travel so far to see each other. He stayed stiff. He didn't want to break down and fall into Matt's arms, not when he had Jake and his confession to think of. He pushed Matt away, and scurried out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist as he ran inside.

Matt sighed, watching as Evan ran from him. He just sunk under the water, thinking that he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life telling Evan that he still had feelings for him. "Dammit," he muttered, bubbles floating out of his mouth to the surface. He knew Evan would stay in the house, since he had no clothes and he was scared of getting completely lost. He emerged from the water and pushed his loose hair back and wiped his face off. He wanted to run after Evan, but he didn't want to scare him anymore than he had. He decided that it would be better if he at least apologized and got out. He pulled on his soaked trunks and wrapped the other towel around him.

Evan was outside the front door, shivering in the cool November air. He hadn't meant to run out on Matt like he had, but it would've only taken so much and he would've been putty in the other man's hands.

"You'll catch a cold out here like that," Matt whispered, standing in the open doorway. "At least come in and get dressed." He moved back, letting Evan get back inside the house. He kept his eyes on the carpet after the door was shut and Evan was standing beside him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or upset you. I'll take you back to Jeff's if you want. I was just worried about you. Mike's been hitting on you a while from what Jeff tells me. I didn't understand why you hadn't told me."

"You were happy with Adam when it started. I didn't want to ruin your relationship with my problems, that's all," Evan murmured, looking down at his bare feet. "I'm sorry you were worried."

Matt shook his head. "Can I hug you?" he asked, turning to look at the smaller man.

Evan chuckled slightly, looking up. "Of course Matt. What kind of silly question is that?" he asked, smiling. He allowed Matt to envelope him in a hug, a warm, strong hand rubbing his back while the other cradled the back of his head while it was pressed against the hard chest. "We can go back up to the hot tub if you want. I promise not to run away."

Matt chuckled, pulling away. He took Evan's hand in his and led him back up to the deck. "You want me to close my eyes?" he asked, earning a playful shove.

"I'm not that shy," Evan said in defiance. He smiled, and turned to the tub, looking back to see if Matt had closed his eyes. "You're supposed to be a gentleman!" He waited for Matt to close his eyes after a soft chuckle.

"I thought you weren't shy?" Matt asked, earning a splash of water. He opened his eyes and scowled at Evan. "Hey! That's this is my towel!"

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"Kick your ass!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

Matt smirked, throwing off his now soaked towel and getting into the tub and diving after Evan. He grabbed him and pulled him onto his lap. "You better be happy that you're cute," he teased, sitting back on one of the seats, Evan straddling his lap, his hands on the narrow, naked hips.

"Why's that?" Evan asked, his hands on the tan shoulders of the older male, his heart racing and body urging him to get closer.

"Because if you weren't I'd probably be trying to drown you, like I do Jeff all the time," he whimpered, Evan's body so close to his. It was almost unbearable. He wanted to let his hand roam the naked flesh, make Evan his again but he knew he had to back off, let Evan make the pace.

"Really now?" Evan asked, relaxing on Matt's lap. He could feel the smooth material of Matt's shorts under him, his cock starting to harden. He pulled away, knowing it was going to rub against Matt if he didn't. "I feel like a pervert again."

Matt laughed. "The shorts?" he asked, reaching into the water and pulling them off. He held them above the water and tossed them out, shrugging at the younger man. "Feel better?" He went for Evan again, getting mostly evaded.

Evan dodged a grab only to jump at Matt, landing ring in his lap like before, a leg on either side of the other man, his hands clasped with Matt's, pinning them to the edge of the hot tub. "Got you," he breathed, breathing hard.

Matt smirked. "Yeah I guess you did," he returned, his hands slipping free from Evan's grasp and slipping to his naked waist. His dark eyes met with Evan's his breathing labored. He hoped Evan couldn't feel his erection that was starting to throb under the water at their close proximity. His body tensed, the hands on his shoulders shaking slightly. He groaned, Evan's body pushing into his, their hard cocks scraping against each other under the water gently. He held Evan to him with one had and pushed Evan back, so he was the one over the smaller man, their hips grinding as he leaned Evan back against one of the seats, his free hand holding him over Evan.

Evan's eyes slipped shut as he gasped out, his hips thrust up again for the contact. His arms wrapped around Matt's neck and he pulled them closer, his lips scant centimeters from Matt's. He closed the gap between them after a few shallow breaths, his dark eyes easing open. He moaned loud against Matt's lips, the other man thrusting against him again and again, making him harder than he'd ever been. "Please don't tease me," he whimpered, pulling away for just a moment before diving back into the wonderful mouth of his ex-boyfriend.

Matt groaned, his tongue rolling over Evan's lower lip before being granted entrance into his mouth. He tried to taste every bit of the moist cavern as the grinded together, Evan's hands tangling in his hair like they used to. It felt right again. His hand moved over Evan's hip and up his side, before stopping to rub against a pink-pebbled nipple. "Evan," he murmured, the small hands tugging at his long hair.

"Matt get off him!" Jeff yelled, jumping fully clothed into the hot tub and yanking Matt off of Evan. "What are you doing?" He hugged Evan to him, noticing that he didn't have any type of clothing on.

Matt's eyes were glazed over in lust, when he looked from Evan up to Jeff. "I was…" he stopped, feeling like a kid again when his dad had walked in on him for the first time. "We were."

"It doesn't matter. Evan get dressed, we're going back to my house." Jeff was snapping out orders, blocking Matt's view of the other man while he got out and picked up his towel and his clothes. He turned to Matt and sighed. "Matty… you don't know what you're doing," he muttered, sitting next to his brother after Evan had gone in. "You're only confusing him more with this. I just wanted you to talk to him, not… not try and get him back."

Matt growled, looking at his brother in disbelief. "Jeff you know I still love him!" he argued, throwing his hands in the air. "I want him back. I've wanted him back since we broke up. Why are you doing this?"

Jeff sighed. He couldn't put Evan's personal business out there for him. "Because you're not the only one that loves him," he answered, getting out of the hot tub. He went into the house and into a spare room where he'd been staying over the time his new house was being built and pulled out a new pair of pants and a new shirt. He changed and went down stairs to where Evan was waiting on him at the door. He sighed, leading Evan out to his car, throwing his clothes into his trunk and driving back to his place.

"I'm not going to say sorry," Evan whispered, crossing his arms and looking over at Jeff.

Jeff shook his head. "I didn't expect you to," he answered, his voice soft and caring. He mentally sighed, thinking of Jake and how worried he'd been when they'd talked. He sighed, wishing Evan knew how much Jake really cared for him.

* * *

(A/N): Well that was pretty much the second half of the last chapter. And a lot is going on! As off topic as this is, I hate when you have more than on fic going on and you get all these ideas for one, and feel like you're neglecting another one. Oh well, back on topic. Matt still loves Evan, Evan is confused and a light weight. Jeff is trying to look out for Evan. Everything is spirally downwards in a sense. Poor guys… Welp, tell me what you guys think! Like it? Title is Falling In Slow Motion by Blue Eyes Burn Like Fire.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	9. Forgotten Pictures

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 8**

* * *

_**Forgotten Pictures**_

Evan was upstairs in his bed, thinking over what had happened a few days before. He'd wanted so much from Matt. He'd wanted to go all the way with him again. He sighed, Jeff had kept a close eye on him during those days and Matt hadn't come over. He rolled over, his phone resting on the pillow next to him. He reached for it, tapping the screen for it to light up only to see he still had that one voicemail he hadn't even tried to check. He put it back on the pillow and got up. He'd check it sometime before he went back to work.

Jeff was downstairs on the couch, snoozing lightly with the television droning on about some kind of new product that everyone should get.

Evan smiled, walking over and sitting on the floor next to the couch, unsure of why Jeff would even be watching infomercials at all. "Hey," he whispered, gently shaking Jeff's shoulder. He waited for one green eye to crack open. "I think we need to talk."

Jeff groaned, rolling over. "No Matty," he whimpered, reaching for a blanket that he was sure he'd had when he'd fallen asleep to pull over his head. "I don't wanna play on the trampoline right now."

Evan shook his head, poking Jeff a few times in his ribs to wake him up. "Jeff!" he snapped, making the other man jump up and rub his eyes.

"What?" Jeff asked, facing the other man. He was more than slightly irritated from being woken up. He sighed, seeing the look on Evan's face. "What's wrong?"

Evan shook his head. "I was thinking that we should talk at least about what happened," he murmured, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Jeff. "I still love Matt, Jeff. I really do." He stopped, looking down at his jean clad legs. "I know that it was wrong for us to be all over each other but Jeff… it felt so right. It felt perfect again."

Jeff sighed, sitting up and pulling the pillow he was laying on into his lap. "I wasn't angry about you being with Matt like that," he admitted, crossing his arms over the pillow and resting his head on the top like a little kid. "I made someone a promise and I'm just trying to keep it." He paused, taking in a deep breath. "I'm just trying to look out for you in the long run."

Evan nodded, looking down at his crossed legs. "What would you do Jeff?" he asked suddenly. He looked up at Jeff trying to figure out what to do.

Jeff's heart started to thud hard in his chest. "About what?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to know what Evan wanted his advice on. He hoped it wasn't about Jake and Matt, because he couldn't tell Evan who to choose.

"Matt said he still loves me but no matter what happens, we're still going to have this shitty schedule and it's just going to be like last time," he paused, lifting his legs up to his chest so he could rest his chin between his knees, "and Jake said a week before I came to stay with you. We had this big misunderstanding and I told him I didn't want to see him and I haven't even talked to him since then." Tears Evan didn't even know that had built up were slowly making their way down his cheeks. "I don't know what to do Jeff. With Matt it's so easy. We know each other, he's perfect but I don't want to go through all the pain again and Jake… he's my best friend. I don't want us to get together and fall apart… and Mike… I just can't get away from him. I just don't know how to since he's the only one that even wants to be with me…"

Jeff got off the couch and sat on the floor with Evan, pulling his head into his chest and stroking the short brown hair. "Shush babe," he whispered, deep down feeling terrible for Evan. He didn't know what to do for him. "There are a lot of people that would like to be with you Evan. I mean it's because you're with Mike that scares them away. Hell, I'd want you if you weren't one of my best friends and Matt's ex. Don't get me wrong I'd fight for you but Matt… he plays dirty when no one's looking."

Evan started to chuckle, feeling a little better there in Jeff's arms. He looked up into the emerald eyes and smiled. "Thanks," he murmured, leaning back into Jeff and listening to the steady heartbeat.

"I don't know about Jake or Matt. That's something you have to decide in your own heart now Mike… if I could just get backstage or something. I bet you, you wouldn't have to worry about that little piss ant anymore," Jeff soothed, thinking of the many different ways he'd love to hurt the other man. He really did hate Mike for what he'd done to Evan. He hated how bad he'd torn Evan down. He pressed a kiss to the side of Evan's head and frowned, thinking about how Evan used to be before Mike had started abusing him and putting him down.

A knock at the door was what caused the two to look up and look at the door in an almost confused state. The door pushed open and the man that was walking in stopped, his dark eyes focused on the two on the floor.

Evan dipped his head away, wiping away the evidence of tears while Jeff got up and walked over to their visitor. He listened as the two walked into the kitchen and for a moment he was thankful that Jeff had left him behind.

He got up and once he was sure that his face was dry he walked into the kitchen to see Jeff sitting on the island in the middle, his feet swinging back and both as he talked to the other Hardy boy that was leaning back against the sink, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes focused hard on Jeff's. "Hey," he greeted, wrapping his arms around himself and smiling.

Jeff looked back at Evan with a gentle smile. He hopped down and walked over to Evan and tugged him into the room. "I have to go out to Shannon's for a little while. Will you be okay with Matt?" he asked quietly between them.

Evan nodded, looking up at the dark haired brother to see that his eyes were looking at Jeff's floor. He smiled slightly, telling Jeff that he would be all right. He turned, watching as Jeff walked away to get ready to leave. He turned his attention back to Matt.

Matt stood straight, his eyes dragging up Evan's body to his face. He looked away when Evan's eyes moved up to his, unsure if everything was just as awkward for Evan as it was for him.

Evan looked down at his bare feet as he sucked in his bottom lip. He looked up at Matt before turning and walking back into the living room. He wasn't sure if Matt wanted to see him again, especially since they had pretty much been all over each other.

Jeff came down the stairs and smiled at Evan, walking over and resting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "If you want to be with Matt, I can't and I won't stop you but don't sit here like that," he said before walking out.

Matt walked in a few moments later his eyes resting on Evan. "I'm sorry about the other day," he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

Even turned, his dark eyes resting on Matt's before looking down at his clasped hands. "I'm not," he said with a smile. He stood and walked over to Matt, unfolding the bigger man's arms and taking each hand in his. "You wanna go for a walk?"

Matt smiled, nodding. "You aren't afraid of getting lost?" he asked, taking one hand away and cupping Evan's cheek.

Evan shook his head. "Not when I'm with you," she answered, closing his eyes and letting the soft but calloused hand caress his cheek. He pulled away after a few moments, deciding that if they were actually going to take this walk he had to change into more fitting clothes. "I have to change."

Matt nodded, watching as Evan walked up the stairs and returned minutes later in a pair of jeans with a long sleeve shirt and a good jacket. He waited for Evan to put on his shoes and they were off, walking down the tree lined dirt road away from Jeff's house. "I'm sorry for being forward the other day," he said after a few minutes of silence between them.

Evan shook his head, his hands in his side pockets. "I kissed you first," he pointed out, looking over at the other man with a smile. "Besides, I would've been the one being forward. I did talk you out of your shorts." He smiled before giggling.

Matt started to laugh with Evan, finally feeling comfortable with him again. "Survivor Series is coming up soon," he said after a few more minutes of silence, although this one was comfortable.

"Yeah. You think we'll be on the same team?" he asked, wondering if he was going to be on the same team as Mike at the same time. "I hope we are." He looked up at Matt chuckling.

"Yeah me too. Maybe we could give Mike a show since he doesn't know how to treat a guy," Matt said winking. He earned a good shove from Evan before the other man took off running ahead of him into the woods. His heart lurched. He didn't know the woods around Jeff's all that well and he didn't want Evan to get lost. "Wait!"

Evan chuckled, running faster through the thickening trees, finding it harder and harder to avoid low branches or uprooted roots. He stopped, gasping for breath before looking back to find that he'd lost Matt. "Matt?" he called, looking around before seeing a streak of black through the trees. He was starting to get a little scared.

Matt made his way through the trees, finding Evan standing next to one looking scared. "I'm here," he gasped, trying to catch his breath. He'd forgotten how fast Evan could be. "C'mon, lets find a clearing or something."

Evan nodded, taking Matt's hand in his and letting the older man lead. After a few moments they emerged into a large clearing that hosted a large old barn. "Where are we?" he asked, a thunderous boom making him jump and latch onto Matt.

Matt smiled, holding Evan to him. "I don't really know," he answered, looking around the clearing for a house or some kind of path that would lead them back to Jeff's. "I forgot how scared of thunder you could be."

Evan smacked Matt's shoulder hard. "It's not the thunder that scares me!" he corrected. "It's when I'm not expecting it." He looked up into Matt's dark eyes and sighed, who was he kidding. He hated storms and thunder was just something he couldn't handle.

Another crash of thunder sounded before a sudden down pour started, catching the two by surprise.

"Lets get in the barn." Matt took Evan's hand and led him into the large barn, running to try and stay as dry as he could. He yanked Evan into the barn and shut the big door, looking around and finding that couldn't be used anymore.

Evan looked around, pulling off his soaked jacket and hanging it over an old horse stall. "I don't think it's being used anymore," he said, looking around before his eyes landed on the hayloft. "I wanna go up there!"

Matt looked back at Evan, the younger man pointing at the yellow hay that looked rather warm. "Alright," he said, walking over to the wooden ladder and holding it. He noticed that he didn't have to since it was actually attached to the loft but it made him feel better since Evan was climbing up. He followed and sat down next to Evan, looking out into the top half of the barn, finding that nothing really lived in it but a few squirrels on the other side and a few empty bird nests.

Evan laid back. "This is pretty comfortable," he said, stretching his arms above his head before putting them behind his head.

Matt nodded, laying back with him. "Can I ask a question Ev?" he asked, looking over at the content man.

Evan turned to his side, giving Matt his undivided attention. "Sure," he said, propping one arm up so he could rest his head on his hand. "What's on your mind?"

Matt turned to face Evan. "Would you come back to me if I asked?" he asked, his eyes steady with Evan's. "I mean if I asked you would you be mine again?"

Evan shivered. He didn't know. He wanted to but…. "I don't know Matt," he whispered, sitting up and hugging his knees to his chest. He tried not to think of Jake, how long he had waited, how patient with him he'd been.

Matt shook his head. "Hey," he whispered, sitting up and pulling Evan to him. "It's ok. It was a terrible question. Forget about it." He smiled, taking one of Evan's hands in his. "Oh!" He pulled away and reached into the hip pocket of his jeans, pulling out a picture. "I found this the other day after you left."

Evan took the picture and held it up. He smiled sadly at it. In the picture there stood him in between Matt and Jeff, all three of them in swimming trunks at the beach. "I remember that day. We got caught up in a storm and me and Jeff slept in your bed. It was scary with all that lightening in the sky and Jeff's crazy ass still out in the water."

Matt laughed, remembering Jeff yelling at the sky that he 'dared it to strike him'. "I have a lot of pictures I'd put away that I went through. I have one of me and you on our first date."

Evan flushed. "You still have those strip ones? I looked terrible that day, the wind messed my hair up and we have a random hand in one of them," Evan gasped, laughing at Matt's nod. "I have them too, it's up in my room at home."

Matt smiled, listening to the rain hit the roof of the barn hard. "You remember the night we went against each other for the title?" he asked, looking over at Evan's face flush.

"Yeah," he murmured, remembering the brutal match. They were actually acting, trying to make the moves look real since they didn't want to hurt each other. He tried not to remember how Matt had pinned him early in by just holding his wrists down and giving him lustful looks. "I had to keep doing back bends to get off the canvas. Then you nearly killed me when I didn't go over the ropes."

"You made my nose bleed!" Matt defended. He had apologized so many times for what he'd done to Evan when he was going to jump back in. "I really didn't mean to. That or get you tied up in the ropes."

Evan smiled, scooting closer to Matt and resting his head on his shoulder. "I know. I made you pay for it when we got back to the room," he murmured, feeling Matt stiffen before relaxing again.

"That hotel room will never be the same," he muttered, putting an arm around Evan's shoulders. He sighed, resting his head on Evan's. "Jeff's gonna freak if he can't find us."

Evan giggled, thinking of Jeff and his over active imagination. "He'll call the National Guard to find us," he laughed, looking up into the dark eyes that were sparkling with happiness. "I miss that look…"

Matt nodded, leaning in and pressing his lips to Evan's. He didn't have to wait before fingers were combing through his hair and the lips on his moved against his in a slow, memorable pace. He leaned over, easing Evan down onto the hay, his lips moving over Evan's gently and slow. God he missed those lips.

Evan groaned, his hands being held down against the hay above his head by Matt's, their fingers laced together. He pushed into Matt's body, the kisses intoxicating. He groaned, Matt's lips moving down his neck.

Matt pushed the silver chain away, kissing around it. He smiled when Evan's voice hitched in his throat and the slim hips pushed into his for some kind of relief. He let go of Evan's hands, easing the long sleeved shirt off of Evan before tossing it to the side. He leaned back in and pressed a kiss to Evan's heart, wincing when the cold little silver pendant touched his nose.

Evan sighed, the warm lips making him squirm slightly. He pulled away and pulled Matt's shirt off before jumping into his arms and pushing their lips back together. He groaned, Matt's tan hands pinching his nipples lightly, playfully, making him hard almost instantly.

Matt reached up and pulled Evan closer to him, his tongue invading Evan's mouth battling with his. He groaned, their chests pressed firmly against each other, their lower halves grinding together mercilessly. "Evan," he whimpered, pulling back to look into the dark brown eyes. "Beautiful."

Evan's cheeks deepened in color. He groaned, reaching out for Matt to come back to him. He wrapped his arms around Matt's neck, their lips meeting again. He could feel a hand move down his chest before sliding down flat stomach to the hem of his jeans. He didn't object when the button on his jeans was popped open and the zipper pulled down.

Matt groaned, Evan's lips nibbling lightly on the lobe of his ear as he tried to get the restrictive pants off of the younger man. "Please Evan," he murmured, easing his hand into the open pants and wrapping his hand around the firm cock. It felt so good to be touching Evan like he was again.

Evan writhed in the hay, the scratchy, sharp hay stabbing his back and leaving little scratches. A zing of pleasure ran through him as Matt began to stroke and just as his head rolled back and his eyes closed he could see the perfect picture of Jake holding him as he cried, wrapped in nothing but a blanket after another night Mike had spent beating him. He gasped, his eyes snapping open when the memory of Jake holding him while he cried after Matt had broken things off flashed through his mind. "Matt wait!" he yelped, pushing the other man away and wincing.

Matt pulled away breathless. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting back and giving Evan the space he needed. "What'd I do?"

Evan shook his head, absent mindedly reaching up and holding the silver pendant in his hand. "I can't do this with you," he admitted, looking back towards the floor of the barn. "I'm sorry."

"Is it because of yesterday? I mean am I moving to fast?" Matt asked worried that he was pushing Evan away. He scooted closer but didn't touch him. "Evan?"

Evan was so tired of tears but he couldn't hold back the ones that were already starting to fall when he looked back at Matt. He fell into his arms, his face in the strong chest. "I'm so sorry Matt!" he cried, trying to rub the tears away. He broke down and explained everything to Matt about Jake and his confession and how he really liked him. By the end of it his throat was raw and his tears had ended.

Matt couldn't do anything but hold Evan to him. He chastised himself, knowing that when he told Evan they needed to break up that he could be saying goodbye to the one person in his life he might not be able to get back. "It's ok," he finally whispered, kissing Evan's temple gently. He rubbed Evan's long back with soothing circles and ran a hand through the now unruly brown hair. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

Evan sighed. "It's been almost two weeks." He looked up to see the chocolate eyes diverted. "Matt… are you mad at me now?" he asked, unsure if he could handle that. While Matt had been his lover previously it was Matt who had taken him under his wing when he was bumped up to ECW.

Matt shook his head before looking into Evan's eyes. "I'm not mad at you. I'm more pissed off that I let you go. I just don't want to see you hurt anymore," he answered, brushing the pale cheek with his hand. "That's all."

Evan nodded with a small smile. "It sounds like the rain's stopped," he said after a few minutes. He reached for his shirt and pulled it on before redoing his pants. "We should get back before Jeff fries out."

Matt chuckled half heartedly as he dressed and led the way down the ladder. He let Evan get his jacket before they set off in the now damp woods to get back home. "Do you love him?" he asked seriously. He needed to know.

Evan was silent. It took a lot of thought. Jake had been there through everything as his best friend so he'd never thought of Jake like that at least not until after the little 'learning experience' he'd had with Ted. He sighed, biting his lower lip finding that deep down he didn't know. "I… I don't know…"

Matt nodded, sighing. He slipped his hand around Evan's knowing that the time he had with him at that moment might be the last bit he had to show Evan any kind of affection. "I want you to be happy Evan, but at the same time I want you to know that I'll always love you," he whispered, stopping and turning to face Evan. "I'm always gonna be here for you, no matter how big or small." He resting his hands on Evan's shoulders and leaned in to press a chaste kiss to the soft lips.

Evan wrapped his arms around Matt's neck, allowing the other man to kiss him deeper. He sighed pulling away after a moment. He didn't want to put Matt and his relationship behind him when all of this was coming out but he knew he had to if he was going to start anything with Jake. "I love you too Matt," he whispered, allowing Matt to take his hand again and lead them back onto the road and back to Jeff's house.

When the returned Jeff gave them both a good scolding for scaring him and not answering their phones or leaving a note about where they were going. After they had explained that they had gotten caught in the rain and had waited it out in a barn Jeff dropped in, saying he would fix dinner and they better like it.

Evan smiled, watching Jeff walk off. He looked up towards his room and when Matt went to try and make up with Jeff he walked up to listen to the voicemail that he'd been putting off listening to. He opened his door and looked at his phone as he laid on his pillow. He walked over and picked it up before sitting on the bed and pressing the voicemail button.

'_Hey Evan. It's Jake. Um… I know you're still pissed at me for everything but um…I just wanted to tell you a few things. I know that you think I'm with Eve but I'm not. I left Nikki and I'm not going back so whatever you may have seen or heard it's not true. Ev… I miss you… I miss talking to you. I miss seeing you… Well I better stop taking up so much of your time just… just call me back when you can okay? And Evan. I wasn't kidding when I said I loved you. I completely meant it. I love you Ev._

Evan sucked his lower lip into his mouth as he lowered the phone and hit the save button and then ended that call. He smiled softly trying not to let the tears in his eyes fall. He opened up the pictures in his phone and looked over them, finding some he'd long forgotten about of him and Jake. There at the very end was the one picture of him and Jake both smiling as big as they could with a cake between them. It was Jake's 22nd birthday and they were celebrating it together with each other.

Evan looked up with a smile, his fingers closing around the silver necklace before tossing his phone back to its place on the pillow. He jumped up and started packing most of his things away. He was going to leave the next day, it only cut his stay a day short and he hated that but he had to get back to Jake. He had to find out what was going on between them and tell Jake that he wanted him too.

* * *

(A/N): Well another chapter out! Yay! So, a lot is going on. Evan wants Jake only after shooting Matt down. Jeff is just trying to help out. Matt wants Evan. More drama huh? Well tell me what you guys think about it. Also Chibi-Chu-18 has done yet another FANTASTIC pic for this story. If you haven't already, you should go check her and ALL of her awesome work out at deviantart. Really she is a fantastic artist. GO! Title is Forgotten Pictures by Hangar.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	10. Take Me Away

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 9**

* * *

_**Take Me Away**_

Evan was sitting at the kitchen island with Jeff on his final morning with him. He had a flight that evening that would take him to the show and he already had a room set aside for him. "I'm sorry for leaving so early," he said, poking at his empty breakfast plate with his fork. "I just have to get back."

Jeff nodded. "You chose Jake then," he said, smiling at Evan's downcast look. "Hey, it's what you want Evan. If you wanted Matt than you wouldn't have let me get between you when you were naked in the hot tub."

Evan flushed. "While we were in the barn we started making out," he murmured, knowing he could tell Jeff anything. "We were going to go all the way until I stopped him."

Jeff was interested. "Why'd you stop?" he asked, pushing his empty plate away and resting his elbows on the counter so he could rest his chin in his hands. He looked up into the embarrassed brown eyes intently.

"Jake popped into my head right when Matt… well when he started touching me. I couldn't think of anything at that moment but him. It was weird, like I wasn't supposed to be doing that with Matt again," he explained with a sigh. "I still love Matt but it just felt wrong."

Jeff nodded with a smile. He knew that it hurt his brother deep down that Evan had pushed him away but it would be better for them. With it this way Evan wouldn't be so confused and Matt could bring Ron back over. It was a done deal. "You think he's gonna be the one?" he asked, referring to Jake.

Evan's frown slowly crept into a tender smile. He looked into the emerald eyes of his best friend and said so gently he almost missed it himself, "I really hope so." He looked down at his plate, thinking of what he was going to do when he got back. "You think he'll talk to me?"

Jeff laughed out loud, sitting up and stretching out his arms. "He better or else he'll have two angry Hardy's on his hands," he said, looking over at Evan before getting up and cleaning up their plates. He stood at the sink before looking out the window. "Matt really cares about you. He just doesn't want to see you get hurt anymore, that's all."

Even got up and grabbed the drying towel that was laying next to the sink. "I know and thank you. I really needed this time off," he said, drying off the dishes and putting them away as Jeff washed them. After they were done he took his seat back at the island and watched Jeff walk around spot cleaning the stove.

"What are you gonna do about Mike?" he suddenly asked, turning to Evan after he was done. "Are you gonna be able to tell him it's over?" He waited, seeing the emotions in Evan's face shift from unsure to scared and back.

"I don't know," he whispered, covering his face with his hands. He didn't know what it was going to do at all. He just wanted to get rid of Mike but at the same time he wanted to make him suffer in the same kind of ways he had. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Well how bout you talk to Jake first and then figure out what you're going to do with Mike," Jeff suggested, walking over and wrapping his arms around Evan's shoulders. "If you need anything just give me a call. I'm telling you, Matt will break every bone in that guys body with everything he knows now."

Evan nodded, thanking Jeff for everything. "You think Matt'll come over for a little while before I have to leave?" he asked, leaning into Jeff's embrace.

"Now what kind of friend would I be if I let you leave without at least saying goodbye?"

Evan turned his attention to the kitchen entrance where Matt was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest and a mischievous smile on his lips. He got up from his stop after Jeff released him and he walked over to Matt with a smile. "What have you got planned?" he asked, knowing that look on Matt's face.

Evan didn't have long to find out. Matt took him and Jeff out to the beach were they spent half the day just hanging out and talking. It was the best time to look for sea shells since it was so late in the year that only the people that lived there year around actually strolled the beach. He had found the perfect little shell that he had pocketed away that he was going to take home to his mother when he left Raw that week, she loved shells. He laughed with Jeff and Matt, remembering how good it had been when they all hung out together.

Before Evan knew it, all the fun was over and he was sitting in the airport, waiting to board his flight. He sighed, looking back at Jeff and Matt. He really didn't want to leave.

"You be careful okay, and call me when you get there or else I'm gonna blow your phone up with texts and calls," Jeff said, completely serious about the texts. He worried a lot and he just wanted to make sure that Evan got there okay. He hugged his friend before stepping back and giving Matt and Evan plenty of room to talk between themselves.

"You know Jeff is going to blow your phone up anyway right?" Matt asked, standing in front of Evan unsure of how to tell him goodbye.

Evan nodded. "He always does. I'll see you at Survivor Series," he whispered, looking down at his shoes, unable to think of what else to say.

Matt leaned in, pressing a kiss to Evan's cheek. "If you need anything call me Ev. I'm always gonna be here for you," he whispered in Evan's ear before pulling back. "Don't let me find Mike. I'll kill him where he stands."

Evan nodded, smiling up at Matt before hugging him tightly. "I love you Matt," he whispered back, returning Matt's kiss with his own on the corner of his mouth since he couldn't reach any higher.

Matt smiled sadly. "I love you too." he pointing Evan towards his flight that was boarding. "Call me when you get in!" he called, waving at the smaller man. "I'm an idiot…"

Jeff walked up, resting a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Yeah, but you're my idiot," he chuckled, looking up into Matt's depressed eyes before sighing. "Don't worry Matty. You'll find someone."

Matt nodded, smiling when Evan stopped at the gate and turned to smile at them before waving one last time goodbye. "Yeah," he sighed, knowing that Jeff was only trying to help. _I'm almost sure he's boarding that plane at the moment. _He thought, shaking his head.

* * *

Evan really didn't like to fly but it was quicker than any other method than he really had at that point in time. He was just happy that it was over quickly. He hurried over to the hotel to check in and get his stuff in the room before he went down into the bar. He smiled, finding a few of the other guys down there sharing drinks while they watched the football game playing. He walked up to Kofi and covered his eyes with his hands.

"Randy, if this is you again, I swear I'm going to punch you in the balls, man," he muttered, his voice tired.

Evan immediately released Kofi before getting into his line of sight and smiling. "Hey," he squeaked, subconsciously covering his manhood and its two buddies.

Kofi smiled, greeting Evan. "Hey. You just get in?" he asked, motioning for Evan to take a seat next to him.

"Yeah a few minutes ago. I actually came down to ask if you'd seen or heard anything about Jake," he said, waving at a few of the others as they passed by to get drinks.

Kofi shook his head, waving over the bartender for another drink. "Not yet, he might not have made it here yet. Mike's been looking for you though," he said, ordering the same drink he had had.

"Kid you can't be in here," the bartender said, trying to use a light tome to tell Evan that he was too young to be in the bar. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Kofi and Evan gave the guy two incredulous looks. "He's twenty six," Kofi said in disbelief. "He works with the WWE like me and the reset of the guys in here."

The bartender didn't look convinced. "Could I see some ID then?" he asked, getting a little gruff with the two.

Evan sighed, digging in his pocket for his wallet to show his driver's license to the man. "See?" he asked, letting the guy finger in over to check it's authenticity before handing it back and walking away without another word.

"Don't feel bad, Evan," Randy said, walking up and leaning against the bar on the other side of Kofi. "He did the same thing to Cody too."

Evan started to chuckle.

"Yeah, me too," Rey said, walking over and hopping up on a bar stool next to Evan. "And I'm almost twice as old as you guys." He laughed with the guys before holding up his glass. "Another one please."

The barkeeper rolled his eyes but poured Rey another drink before walking back over to the Diva's that were on the other end of the bar.

"You think he'd believe me if we told him that Gail is actually with Maryse and he's not going to get anywhere with them?" Kofi asked, smiling at the few mumbles of wonder from the guys. "Well I think I'll let him find out on his own."

Evan smiled, looking around for any more of his friends. He sighed, only being able to laugh with the others when Maryse threw her drink in the face of the bartender before slapping him and walking away, Gail following her looking more than a little embarrassed.

"Hey Kofi have you seen Melina or Eve at all?" he asked suddenly, thinking it would be better to se them first than Jake.

Kofi thought for a moment, trying to remember if he'd seen them. "I don't think I have yet, but I've been down here watching the game for most of the night too," he said, giving a sympathetic look. "Sorry."

Evan shook his head. "It's okay," he answered, looking up at the screen to see two teams battling it out.

"Eve was in the gift shop a few minutes ago," Rey said, pointing towards the door and to the left. "If you hurry you might be able to catch her before she goes back up."

Evan smiled and thanked Rey before running off towards the way he'd pointed. He suddenly fell back landing on his rear. "Damn!" he cursed, looking up at who he'd run unto. His mouth turned dry and he couldn't do anything but shake.

"Hey princess," Mike said, leaning down and lending his hand to the other man. "I haven't seen you all week babe. I was starting to think you were avoiding me." He was being extra pleasant after last week's beating. He didn't want to mess up his possible plans with John since he hadn't made it to his house over the week.

Evan tried to scoot away, his back coming into a close wall, the corner digging into his back. He shook his head, keeping his hands at his sides. He winced when Mike grabbed his hand and yanked him up as hard as he could.

"I missed you sweetheart," he growled, hugging Evan to him coldly. "You should come up the room with me and we can talk this all out." He was talking behind gritted teeth. He was damn sure that he wasn't going to let Evan fuck up his chances with John.

"I don't want to," Evan squeaked, trying to pull away from the stronger man. "I'll scream Mike, I'm not playing." He was trying to sound tough, let Mike he wasn't going to play weak anymore but he was sure he wasn't convincing with the shake to his voice.

"No you won't. Because if you do I'll make it twice as bad for you when we actually get up to my room," he threatened, smiling and wrapping his arm around Evan like a lover would. "Now lets go!"

Evan pulled away, shaking but firm. He wasn't going to let Mike push him around anymore. "No!" he snapped, narrowing his eyes as his tormenter. "I'm not going with you." He turned and walked away, hoping, praying that Mike didn't come after him.

Mike growled, walking up to Evan and grabbing his arm again. "I said get your ass in the fucking elevator!" he snarled, pulling him towards the elevators. "Stop acting like a fucking little kid and actually grow up!" He punched the elevator button and waited for the doors to open. Once they did he threw Evan into it before feeling a stiff hand grab his shoulder. "What the fuck do you want?" he turned to find he was face to face with Melina, Eve, and Kofi.

"When someone says 'no' that means 'no'!" Eve growled, reaching out for Evan's hand with a soft smile. "C'mon sweetheart."

Melina had her face in Mike's telling him to try something with her eyes. "He's coming with us and I'll be damned if you try and hurt him anymore," she muttered, winding her fist in his shirt. "I fucking dare you to do something. See if I don't have the entire locker room from Raw and Smackdown beat the shit out of you, and then I'll talk to the ECW locker room and they can have the leftovers of your sorry ass." She smiled sweetly, letting go of Mike and pushing him into the elevator. "Try me."

Mike looked at the four, grinding his teeth but biting his tongue. He'd get them back if it killed him. He'd get payback and then he'd break Evan beyond repair and no one would want to be near him or want his skinny ass. "Fine. You'll be back though. I guarantee it. Have fun getting played with Evan. No one's going to want you for long with your history."

With that the doors closed and all Evan could see was the cruel, sadistic smile that had taken over Mike's lips. All he could hear was his heart racing, thumping over and over again in his ears. And suddenly he didn't want to see Jake as much as he had wanted to.

Kofi sighed, walking over and wrapping an arm around Evan's shoulders. "You okay?" he asked, his voice quiet and soft. "We heard you yelling from the bar."

Evan nodded. He was violently shaking and when Eve turned to look at him his legs gave out. Tears started flowing and all he could do was sit there on the highly polished floor.

Kofi bent down and pulled Evan up, holding him steady while Eve and Melina looked him over.

Melina leaned in and hugged Evan to him, stroking his brown hair gently. She looked over to her girlfriend and sighed, knowing that this wasn't going to help Evan at all. _Get Jake _she mouthed, tossing her head to the side towards the other half of the hotel.

Kofi and Eve took off in separate directions, looking for the bigger man in hope of finding him while Melina stayed with Evan.

"It'll be ok," Melina whispered, walking him over to a bench and sitting him down. "Don't let him get into your head like that."

Evan shook his head. "It's true. It's all true. No one is going to stay with me…. I'm just some kind of whore… aren't I? Look at me… I'm just kind of boy toy… he's right…."

Melina rested Evan's head on her breasts and stroked his hair lightly, letting the steady flow of tears wet her blouse. She hushed him, lulling him like a baby hoping that it would calm him down. She looked down after he had fallen silent seeing that he was staring out into the lobby of the hotel mindlessly. "You're wonderful Evan. You don't know how good you are," she whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

After a few minutes of silence Eve and Kofi returned with Jake in tow.

Jake was running behind the two, stopping dead when he saw Evan. He looked over the smaller man before easing up and dropping to his knees. "Ev," he whispered, reaching up and cupping the slack cheeks. "Ev baby."

Evan looked down into Jake's blue eyes and sighed, dropping into the bigger man's arms. "Jake," he whispered, wrapping his arms around the bigger man's neck, his nose pressed hard into the crook of Jake's neck, the cold chain cutting into him slightly. "I'm so sorry…."

Jake sighed, hugging Evan to him. "Hush," he whispered, picking Evan up effortlessly and cradling him in his arms. "I'm going to take you up to your room."

Evan nodded.

Melina reached out and took Eve's hand, looking after the two softly, yet worried about Evan at the same time. "Thank you Kofi," she murmured, turning and smiling at him.

Kofi shook his head. "Evan's like everyone's younger brother. Most of us could kill Mike for how he treats him but he's lucky to have you girls to look after him." He returned their smiles before waving and walking away.

* * *

Evan sighed once he touched the soft sheets of the hotel bed under him. He laid there, watching as Jake moved around the bed to sit on the other side of the double bed. "I missed you," he whispered, reaching out and taking the larger hand in his.

Jake's head turned, his eyes looking over Evan's small form, his heart fluttering with hope in his chest. "I missed you too," he whispered, kicking his shoes off and crawling to lay next to Evan, their bodies facing the other.

Evan sat up and crawled over, pushing Jake onto his back and throwing a leg over Jake's waist. He stalled there, his heart starting to hurt with how hard it was beating against his breastbone.

Jake rested his hands on the narrow hips and smiled gently up at Evan. "You put it on," he whispered, reaching up with one hand and cupping the matching necklace that was around his neck.

Evan nodded. He leaned in and rested his ear right over Jake's heart. He could hear it beat steadily and strong. "Did you mean it?" he asked, looking up at the strong jaw.

"When?" he asked, unsure of what Evan was referring to.

"What you said in the voicemail you sent me."

Jake nodded, remembering his unsure voicemail that he was sure Evan would just delete it. "Every word," he whispered, letting go of Evan's necklace and running it through the brown hair. "I love you Ev."

Evan smiled, pulling away just for a moment. His lips pressed lightly against Jake's for their first kiss and for the first time, it felt right and he was at ease.

Jake tensed, completely surprised with the kiss. He relaxed and held Evan to him, kissing him back chastely, his eyes slipping shut and a calm coming over him.

* * *

(A/N): Yay! Evan is with Jake again! I really like how this chapter came out. It's been killing me to pop out all weekend and I couldn't write because I up in Chicago without my laptop.. :( I hate when I decide to take a small vacation away from home Jack and Jake decide to throw a bunch of crap in my head to write... Damn muses... Either way! What does everyone think of the new chapter? Like it? hate it? Let me know! Title is Take Me Away By 4 Strings.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	11. The Lover And The Liar

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 10**

* * *

_**The Lover And The Liar**_

Nikki stepped up to Mike before promptly smacking him across the face, leaving an angry red handprint on his cheek. "Why the fuck is the rumor that Jake and your slut are holed up in his little room going around?" she snapped, her voice seething with anger. "We had a deal you little worm."

Mike chuckled, looking up at Nikki from his seat at the table in the empty dining room. "They are up in his room together, but with what I'd told him last night, he's not going to want Jake for long," he explained, picking up his glass of iced tea and taking a drink. "Besides, I'm not the one letting my little pet run around without a lease, now am I? I know how to control Evan, I'm guessing I can't say the same for you and Jake."

Nikki reared back for another slap but before it could land, Mike grabber her wrist.

"Hit me again and I swear I'll knock your teeth out you money grubbing, attention whore, bitch. Just try me, I dare you," he warned, firmly squeezing her arm before letting it go. "I'm going up to my room. Now, if you want Jake, you figure out how to keep him. I didn't agree to take care of your problems."

Nikki growled, rubbing her sore wrist and watching as Mike left the dining room, leaving his half eaten breakfast and almost full glass of iced tea next to the ornate plate. "Fine," she murmured, leaving the dining room and walking back up to her room. "I'll take care of this alone."

* * *

Evan's eyes fluttered open, an ocean of blue in front of him. He smiled softly, the blue eyes in front of him caring. "Jake," he murmured, thinking back to the night before, remembering that after he'd kissed Jake, they had laid back, talking for only a few moments before he'd fallen asleep from the emotional exhaustion of the day. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Jake whispered back, wetting his lips lightly with his tongue before leaning in and pressing his lips against Evan's in a morning kiss. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, after pulling away from the soft, chaste kiss.

Evan eased into a sitting position, stretching his arms above his head, and yawning. He shied away from Jake's eyes and nodded. "Did you sleep okay? I mean I kinda toss and turn sometimes," he murmured, looking up into the dark blue eyes.

"Like an angel," Jake whispered back, sitting up and pulling Evan into his lap. He pressed a kiss to the back of Evan's neck, earning a deep moan. He smiled, hugging Evan to him tightly. "Do you think we could talk about a few things after breakfast?"

Evan nodded, closing his eyes. "Is it something bad?" he asked, unsure of where their conversation may go.

Jake shook his head. "No." He loosened his grip on the smaller man and sighed, letting the other man turn so their lips could meet again. This time Jake's hands eased up Evan's back, his fingers delving under the dark shirt, the other man's hands in his already tousled hair.

Evan groaned, allowing his mouth to open and let his tongue slip out to run over Jake's lower lip. He moaned loudly when Jake's tongue moved to caress his slowly, gently as those hands moved down his sides to rest on his hips.

Jake pulled only after sufficiently tasting every crevice of the moist cavern of Evan's mouth. "I don't want to go to fast," he whispered, his fingers trembling against the warm skin of the smaller man.

Evan nodded, smiling softly. This was the first time someone had wanted to take it slow with him, and he didn't want to rush anything with Jake, he meant too much to him for that. "I don't either," he murmured, his forehead resting against Jake's. "I'm sorry for everything that happened."

Jake shook his head, leaning in and kissing Evan's lips lightly. "Hush," he muttered, one hand moving up to cradle the back of Evan's head, his fingers tangling in the short brown hair. "Don't bring it up. It doesn't matter now." He kissed Evan again, this time pushing him back so he lay over the smaller man, their lips fused together, their bodies pressed together.

Evan groaned, sure that nothing could ruin the time he was spending with Jake. That was until the phone rang and Jake pulled away to answer it with an irritated hello.

"Oh hey, John," Jake said, sitting back on the bed. He reached out to pull Evan into his lap, his free arm wrapping around the smaller man. "What do you mean, I'm going against Evan tonight? How do you even know this?"

"Just listen to me Jake. You and Evan have this match. Mike set it up. Please, just work with it. I have to go, Phil's calling me." With that he hung up.

Jake sighed, looking down at the little angel in his arms. "I guess I'm your opponent tonight," he said, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the side of Evan's head. "I want you to do something for me tonight."

"Anything," Evan answered, looking back into the sapphire blue eyes that he loved so much. He waited, looking into Jake's somber face. "Jake, what's wrong?"

"I want you to beat me tonight," he finally whispered, holding Evan tighter. "I know that I'm supposed to go the entire year without losing but, I want you to be the one to defeat me." He smiled slightly, knowing that he was only killing his record and chances to make it higher in the business but at that moment he didn't care. "Can you do that for me?"

Evan was shocked. "But Jake, that's like career suicide. I could never actually beat you," he whispered, looking down at his hands that were clasped in his lap. "I can't…"

Jake leaned in and pressed a kiss to the long column of neck. "Please Evan. I've never asked you for so much in our entire friendship but I want it to be a message to everyone. I want everyone to know that I'd do anything for you and that I'm yours and no one else's."

Evan sighed, nodding finally. "I'll do it. But you have to put up a real fight Jake. I'm not going to go out there and just pretend that I'm beating you to a pulp," he finalized, turning slightly and capturing Jake's lips. "Now it's sealed." He smiled, getting out of Jake's lap and walking over to the big window.

Jake got up and followed, wrapping his arms around Evan's shoulders and leaning in to press their cheeks together. "I love you Evan," he whispered, looking down at the street with the few people walking around.

Tears entered Evan's eyes suddenly, the words so powerful and heavy. He tried not to sob out loud when his breathing started to become harder as the tears slipped free. At that moment in time he actually felt loved. He felt like he had when he was with Matt, wait, he felt better than when he was with Matt. His voice was gone as he tried to return the three words.

Jake pressed a finger to Evan's lips, effectively hushing him. "You don't have to say anything," he murmured, pressing another kiss to Evan's cheek. "I want you to be completely ready when you say it."

Evan nodded. "Lets get some breakfast Jake," he said after a moment of silence between them. "And we can talk about what ever you want."

* * *

Jake opened the door to the little café down the street from the hotel and waited for Evan to pass though.

"And I was told chivalry was dead," Evan snickered, holding the door for Jake to pass through behind him. "You gonna get a big breakfast again?"

Jake shrugged. "Well I can't live off grape fruit and water," he returned, more or less poking fun at his ex-girlfriend. "Unless you want me too."

Evan shook his head quickly. "No!" he snapped, making the waitress that was coming to seat them stop with a curious look. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just talking to him. Sorry about that." Evan was embarrassed as they walked over to the table and were seated with menus. "I can't believe you let me do that with someone right there."

Jake only snickered, looking over Evan's red face. "It makes you look cuter, that's all," he admitted, reaching over and touching Evan's hand with his gently. "I won't do it again."

Evan smiled slightly, liking the light heartedness of the other man. It was a welcome change from all the brooding and hate he was always around. "What did you want to talk about then?" he asked, finding that he would only have a one thing off the menu.

Jake set down his menu and looked into Evan's dark eyes. He wanted to be completely serious. "I want you to leave Mike and be with me," he said, his voice monotone. "I want you to myself and I'm not going to play little secret games with that abusive asshole."

Evan sat up a little straighter, feeling like a little kid getting scolded. He looked down at the table and thought. Jake had never demanded anything out of him, at least nothing so serious. He looked up into the blue eyes and he nodded. He knew he couldn't go on living like he was with Mike. He had to get out while he had a chance and alive. He smiled slightly. "I'll tell him tonight at the show. Then we can go out together."

Jake nodded, his somber face lightening up. "Good."

* * *

Evan was almost floating around the locker room. He was ready for the night to be over so he could just go back to the hotel with Jake. He was ready to go out there, put on his show, and then tell Mike that they were over. He went out, dressed in his gear and ready for his match. He was walking around catering, finding Kofi and deciding to sit with him and watch the show for a while, at least until his match.

He bounded out, smiling uncontrollably as he found his way to catering and sat down next to Kofi, who at that moment was nibbling at some small snack with his eyes glued to what was going on in the show. "What's going on?" he asked, looking at the big screen and seeing Mike and Jake arguing. He smiled, knowing that Jake was secretly telling Mike to back off and that he wasn't going to be the one with Evan anymore.

"Jake's getting a little possessive, don't you think?" Kofi asked, startling Evan and making him jump a bit. He looked over at the other man with a smile.

Evan shrugged, hoping to be mysterious but knowing he was failing, the smile one his lips giving him away. "I better get out to the curtain. I'll see you later Kofi!" he said, getting up and bounding away, leaving Kofi to shake his head with a chuckle.

He waited for only a few minutes before his music hit and he was off, ready to start his match, and show in their sneaky way that he was through with Mike and that he was moving on. He yanked off his shirt and watched Jake come down the ramp, watching the sexy push ups before the other man jumped up and their eyes met.

Jake couldn't help but break his predatory grin that he always wore to smile at the smaller man. He was ready, ready to break his streak and show to everyone that he was going to be with the smaller man.

Evan wrestled hard, knowing that Jake could easily take him if he wasn't holding back. He was getting winded when he heard Mike's music hit. His head turned, the look on Jake's face saying it all.

Jake waved for Mike to come down to the ring, wrapping his arms around Evan in a secret hug before delivering a belly-to-belly throw. He got up, his eyes narrowing at the other man, earning the attack from Evan, only to get pinned after a shooting star press.

Evan relished in his victory, looking back at Mike and showing that he wasn't afraid. He listened to Mike, talking his usual trash talk, only this time he didn't care. It was just talk, nothing Mike said was going to really do anything.

Jake watched Mike walk away with an all knowing look in his eyes. "Bastard," he mumbled, getting up from the ring and heading back to the curtains. He waited, pulling Evan to him when he too passed behind the black curtains. "Thank you."

Evan relaxed in his arms. "I didn't do anything." He chuckled, Jake's stubble tickling his cheeks when the other man leaned in for a kiss. "I think we should go back to the hotel and celebrate," he suggested, tugging on Jake's hand so they could change and spend the rest of the night alone.

Jake nodded, following like a giddy high school girl with the hottest boy in school.

Once they got into the room and their things were dropped, Jake was attacking Evan's neck with his lips. He nipped and sucked at the soft skin, eliciting moan after moan, until finally both of them nearly ripped Evan's street shirt off of him.

Evan fell to the bed, reaching up for the other man to join him. "Please Jake?" he asked softly, his dark eyes half lidded and filled with love.

Jake nodded, pulling off his own shirt and easing his way onto the bed. He smiled, wrapping his arms around Evan's shoulders and leaning in to press a gentle kiss to the soft lips. His body towered over Evan, making him feel like he was protecting the other man from anything and everything in the outside world. "I love you Evan," he whispered, kissing down the soft cheek to nip at the small ear.

Evan smiled, closing his eyes and pressing his lips to Jake's cheek. "I…."

Evan didn't get the chance to finish as the phone rang loudly next to them. He looked over at the offending item before looking up at Jake. "You're phone," he whimpered, looking sheepishly across the room at something else.

Jake groaned in aggravation before getting off of Evan to pick up the offending object and mutter an irritated sounding hello. "Whoa, slow down Brie, what's going on?" he asked, sitting down on the bed before jumping up again. "Shit! I'll be right there. Don't go anywhere, we'll ride over together. Yeah, Bye."

Evan sat up, it had to be serious if Jake was already pulling on his discarded shirt and looking around for his shoes. "What's wrong Jake?" he asked, getting up as well, but staying in his state of dress.

Jake turned to Evan after slipping on his second sneaker. "That was Brie on the phone," he whispered, pausing for a second, "Nikki's in the hospital. She just tried to commit suicide."

* * *

(A/N): Thank you Linkin Park for getting me out of a writer's block rut! Anyway, past only the awesomest and my favorite band in the world and back to the story. Lol. Well, Nikki and Mike are arguing, Jake and Evan are getting even closer, and pissing Mike off, and Now Nikki. And Survivor Series is coming up. It's a make or break time. What does everyone think? Like it? Let me know guys! Really, you have no idea how wonderful it is when you guys review and tell me what you think. They are pretty much the best things ever! Anyways, title is The Lover And The Liar by Chiodos.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	12. Kiss And Control

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 11**

* * *

_**Kiss And Control**_

Evan sat alone in the hotel lobby, sighing as another lonely car rolled past outside the giant window next to his chair. He'd been sitting in the lobby ever since the complete mess that had happened at the hospital. He sighed again, rolling his phone around in his hands. He'd already called Jake once, getting no answer.

A sudden ringing filled the silent lobby and caused Evan to jump before answering without looking.

"Hello?"

"Hey Evan," Matt's soft voice came, making Evan jump up and run to the elevator. "How've you been?"

Evan pushed the up button. "Okay, I guess. It's late over there isn't it?" he asked, trying to ignore his heart racing so fast. "Not that I'm not happy to hear from you, ya know?" He paused, sighing.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked, his voice showing concern for the other man.

Evan sighed again, thinking about what had happened at the hotel.

_He and Jake had caught a cab over to the hospital, both running up to see where Nikki was, Brie and Nick outside the room, Brie in tears and hysterics while Nick just held her to his chest._

"_Where is she?" Jake asked, letting go of Evan hand just as they walked up, his blue eyes locked with Nick's. "How is she?"_

_Brie looked up and hugged Jake tightly. "She's fading in and out but the doctors got her stomach pumped in time and they said that she should be okay," Brie explained, pulling away and pulling Jake inside Nikki's room._

_Evan stood there in silence a foot or so from Nick. He was looking down at his feet, wondering why he'd went with Jake in the first place. It wasn't like Nikki liked him, hell she didn't even want him around Jake, let alone her hospital room._

"_You know he means the world to her," Nick said, walking over to Evan and resting a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "She loves him. I don't know why you would pretty much up and steal Jake away from her, like some homewrecking whore."_

_Evan's heart thumped hard in his chest, the words hitting him hard. "I didn't steal him away Nick," he whispered, looking up at the blond, his dark eyes on fire. "He came to me, I didn't do anything to break them up."_

_Brie exited the room, leaving Jake alone with Nikki. "How could you!" she snapped, pushing her boyfriend out of the way and grasping Evan by his shoulders. She began to shake him, the tears getting harder. "How could you do this to her! She could be dead you little prick! It's your fault my sister did this to herself. I hate you! I fucking hate you! Just a little slut like she said, taking anyone out to get to Jake like a little gutter rat!"_

_Evan was in shock, his heart hurting. He pulled away, Nick yanking her off of him. "I didn't… it wasn't supposed to… I… I'm so sorry Brie," he tried, unsure of what to say and sure that him going along was nothing but a mistake. _

"_Sorry!" she cried incredulously, jerking out of Nick's embrace. She slapped Evan across the face, making his cheek sting with pain, leaving a red hand print. "You don't know how sorry you'll be you little bastard! Get the hell away from here! Rot in hell for all I care!"_

_Evan backed away, seeing the fire in both Brie and Nick's eyes. He turned, deciding not to say another word. He walked back to the lobby before deciding to walk back to the hotel. This only lasted for about half the trip when a taxi pulled up to him and asked if he would like a ride back to where he was going and Evan accepted._

"Evan?" Matt asked for the third time, afraid of what was going on. "Evan!"

Evan shook his head, the daze wearing off. "I'm sorry. I just spaced out," he answered, the doors dinging on his floor. He walked out, looking down at the carpet under his feet. "Matt, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can, what kind of question is that?" Matt was getting even more worried and he was debating whether or not to take the next flight to wherever Evan was, no matter the cost or time it took to get there.

"Would you miss me if I left?" he asked softly, unlocking his door, looking over the empty room, thinking that all his things were up in Jake's room.

"The business, of course I would. I mean I barely get to see Jeff, it would be hell to see you if you quit."

"No, I mean if I died," he was stoic, his eyes landing hard on the bed, his mind going a million miles a second. "Would you miss me, like really miss me?" He felt tears enter his eyes. He trudged over to the bed, the silence on the line leaving his mind to keep going through emotions he hadn't felt since he was a teenager. No one cared about him. No one really loved him. He really was everything that Mike had told him. He was nothing more than a little whore, a dick tease to be used and then left in the end for someone else. He was nothing more than an object, just some sex toy.

"Evan… Evan! EVAN!"

Evan hit the end button, dropping his phone and falling face first into the pillows, the tears falling as his mind took a turn for the worst. Would anyone miss him? Matt might for a little while, but he'd forgotten about him once, why wouldn't he do it again? Jake wouldn't care. He was too stuck on Nikki, no matter what he said, and the others in the locker room… most of them didn't even act like he existed. He sobbed into his pillow, wishing everything was a bad dream, that he was never born, that he'd never became a wrestler, that he would have listened to his father when he said he should get a real job and not chase silly little fantasies that would lead him no where.

Evan's phone sprang to life, ringing in a high pitched ringtone that hurt Evan's sensitive ears.

Evan got up, wiping his face off before answering it.

"Evan!" Jeff cried, his voice panicky. "Are you alright? You're not hurt are you? You haven't done anything to hurt yourself right?" he asked, a rustling sound of clothes and coats being pulled on.

"I'm fine," Evan murmured, plopping down on the end of his bed, his back slumped.

"I don't believe you at all!" Jeff snapped, a door slamming behind him.

"Where are you going so late?" Evan asked, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"To you. I'll be there in a few hours. Matt and I are on our way there so don't you dare move an inch before we get there. And so help me if you do, Evan."

Evan knew Jeff wasn't kidding. He agreed to stay put before saying that he would wait for them and he wouldn't do anything he would regret later. He hung up, only after hearing Matt in the background yell that he loved Evan and that he would always be there for him.

Evan tossed his phone away and curled up into a ball on the bed, uncaring of his clothes or that he was on top of the blankets. He groaned, closing his eyes and trying to push his thoughts away.

After a few moments of it completely not working, he got back up and went into the bathroom, looking himself over in the full wall mirror above the sink and counter.

Evan's eyes looked all over himself. His own dark eyes, moody with his depressed state, his brown ruffled hair, nothing too special, his lightly tanned skin, nothing special about that either. He was short, not as fit as he could be, skinny. He hated it, he hated what he looked like, he hated everything about himself. He felt tears start to slip down his cheeks as he sniffled and looked down to his feet, then back up. He wasn't special, hell he wasn't anything to even look twice at. He wasn't like Jake, tall and handsome and country. He wasn't like Mike, charismatic, up in your face with a lot of confidence. Hell he wasn't even like Jeff. He wasn't pretty and he couldn't pull off anything if he wanted to. He was nothing compared to his friends and ex's. He wasn't anything… And he hated it.

He wanted to change it, he really did. He sighed, walking away and going back to his bed. He laid down, looking emotionlessly at the wall while time passed and his mind was finally too numb to think.

* * *

Jeff was fiddling with his fingers on the plane, as they were about to land. "You don't think Evan would hurt himself do you?" he asked, looking over at his brother, the older male looking out the window, his lower lip sucked into his mouth, his white teeth knawing on the sensitive flesh. "Matty?"

"I hope he doesn't do anything stupid. I wouldn't be able to handle seeing Evan like that, not again," he whimpered, closing his eyes and sighing. "I'm going to kill Jake. I know it had something to do with him." He looked over at Jeff, his eyes completely serious. "When we land you call Evan and see where he is, because I'll break down if I do it."

Jeff nodded. He didn't want Evan to hurt himself in any way, shape, or form. He only hoped that Evan wouldn't be in some strange mood when they got there either, he knew what those moods were like when you just didn't want to live anymore. He remembered those days.

Once they landed and Jeff got the hotel name and room number out of Evan it was only a few minutes before they were knocking on the door to Evan's room.

Evan opened the door, his eyes droopy from lack of real sleep. He yawned, turning away from them without a hello and going back to the bed. He flopped down onto the blankets and curled back into a ball.

Matt and Jeff stepped in, Matt motioning for Jeff to wait for a moment by the now closed door.

Matt walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed and resting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Evan," he whispered, leaning over the smaller man to look into the dark eyes. "Evan are you okay?"

Evan shook his head. "Nikki tried to kill herself last night. Jake never came back from the hospital… What's the point of loving someone that doesn't even care to call you back after fourteen hours?" he murmured, his eyes focused on the wall across the room from him.

Jeff took a step closer. "You haven't been to sleep yet, have you?" he asked softly, taking a few more steps closer. "How long have you been awake Evan?"

"Thirty hours. I got up yesterday at six and I just haven't been able to sleep… What's wrong with me? Matt… Jeff… no one cares what happens to me."

Matt threw his arms around Evan before turning him so they were face to face. "Evan I love you. I care about you and what happens to you. Don't talk like that, please!" he pleaded, stroking back the soft brown hair of his ex-lover. "Jesus Evan."

Evan was limp in Matt's strong arms. He was too drained to fight or do anything to push the other man away. "I miss feeling loved…" he whispered, looking up into the kind brown eyes above him. "I miss feeling like Jake cared about me…."

Matt held Evan to him closer, pressing kiss after kiss to Evan's cheek and over his face. "We care Evan. We really do. I care…. Evan I love you, please, snap out of it."

Jeff waited, watching as Matt cradled Evan. "I'm going to get Melina," he mouthed to his brother before turning on his heels and leaving the two to be alone.

Matt looked down into the blank face, and sighed. "Evan," he sighed, leaning in and pressing their lips together. He waited, the tender lips forming to his after a moment. He smiled slightly, holding Evan closer to him as they kissed chastely. When he pulled away a few moments later, Matt looked into the tear filled brown orbs. "Are you okay Evan?"

Evan shook his head, trying to shake off the depressive spell he had. "I feel useless, like it doesn't matter how I feel. I get told all the time that I broke Jake and Nikki up, but Jake broke it off with her before we even decided to be together. I don't know what's going on. It's like I'm nothing but some toy to be used and left behind. I hate it Matt. I hate life right now."

Matt nodded, holding Evan to his chest until there was a knock at the door. He eased Evan back onto the bed, before opening the door and seeing Melina and Eve on Jeff's heels as they came barreling in, Eve and Melina going over to talk to Evan quietly.

Jeff waited at the door, holding Matt's arm to keep him from intruding on the girls and Evan talking. "He needs them more than he needs us," Jeff said softly, leading him and Matt out into the hall, making sure to leave the door cracked just enough so they weren't locked out.

"What makes you say that?" Matt asked, wanting to be in there with his former lover. He turned to Jeff, fire in his eyes. Evan needed him no matter what his little brother had to say.

Jeff sighed, looking down at his feet. "He needs Jake really," he whispered, looking up into the seething dark brown eyes. "Hear me out Matt."

Matt crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at his little brother skeptically.

"You left him all that time ago. He remembers that. It's only going to fuel his depression with you there telling him you love him. And I'm not in the WWE anymore, that and you're my brother. He's going to think about you with me around. Matt… please… just listen to me. I know what he's going through."

Matt sighed, remembering when Jeff was depressed and on drugs. He could kill that asshole that had played with Jeff's heart. "He means too much to me to be hurt like this," he murmured, pushing open the door enough to look in on the other man. "I know Eve and Melina will take care of him but… I still love him Jeff."

Jeff nodded. "I know Matt. I know."

Eve wrapped her arms around Evan, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of his head as he rumbled on about what had happened at the hospital and why Nikki was there.

Eve growled, "She had to know someone was going to find her. She's too vain to actually do something like that."

Melina nodded, already knowing what Nikki had done when Brie had called the night before. "Listen Evan. We're going to work something out. We will. I promise," she cooed, stroking his hair back and hugging him closer to her. "

Evan nodded, getting up and out of Melina and Eve's arms. He walked over to Matt, looking up into the dark eyes. A silent tear slipped down his cheek as he leaned in, wrapping his arms around Matt's waist and planting a firm kiss on the soft lips he'd once loved so much.

* * *

(A/N): Sorry about the late updates everyone! I've been so swamped with work, school, and life. It's just been a tiring time right now. But very soon, as soon as these finals are over, I'm going to be able to going back to writing all the time whenever I want. Anyway, past all that. The plot is thickening. Evan feels so unloved and alone, Matt and Jeff are trying to be there, and Melina and Eve are trying to be with him as well. Well, I don't have a lot to say so tell me what you think. Please and thank you! Title is Kiss and Control by AFI.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


	13. Friend Or Foe

******Disclaimer: See Chapter 12**

* * *

_**Friend Or Foe**_

Evan sighed into his pillow, listening to the music that Jeff was playing. "Jeff, I'm depressed enough as it is without this music," he groaned, watching the other man sit across from him with a pad of paper in his lap. "Jeff!"

"I'm sorry Ev, but I can't listen to happy joy joy music when I'm drawing. It sets the mood, and trying to draw you right now, this is the best music I can get," Jeff explained, looking up at the other man and then down at his sketch pad. "I'm almost done so don't move."

Evan sighed again, closing his eyes. He could see Jake's face there, that happy-go-lucky smile that had always made Evan go weak in the knees, that golden hair, that in the middle of summer seemed like a glowing halo. He groaned, opening his now watery eyes and looking back at Jeff, the music doing nothing to help his already sour mood. "Jeff…" he whimpered.

Jeff set the pad to the side. "You can move now. I'm done," he said, crossing his legs and watching the other man get up. "You think you and Matt'll get back together then?"

Evan stopped, looking back bewielderly at Jeff. "Where the hell did that come from?" Evan asked, his brow furrowed.

Jeff shrugged his shoulders. "It's a legitimate question."

Evan shook his head, walking away. He couldn't deal with those kinds of questions. He walked down the stairs of Jeff's house, finding Matt in the kitchen. "Will you go on a walk with me?"

Matt turned around from the lunch dishes that only he and Jeff had eaten. "Just us?" he asked, looking the other man up and down, Evan's body leaning against the door frame, the free arm across his chest and clutching the arm against the frame and head hung. "Just let me finish up and sure." He hated the clothes Evan was wearing. They covered him completely. The baggy sweat pants a size too big and the oversized sweatshirt causing Evan to drown in the cloth, the hood up, shadowing Evan's beautiful face.

Evan turned away, walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch. He couldn't stop thinking, and it was killing him. He hadn't really slept in the two days he had spent with Jeff and Matt, not to mention the completely sleepless two days before he'd gotten there. He was so tired, but he just couldn't get away from his thoughts.

Every time he closed his eyes he could see Jake there. And if it would only stop there. He could always see what Jake and Nikki were doing in the hospital room, both of them there, Nikki pleading for Jake to come back, Jake giving in and promising that he would never leave her again. He was lucky if it all stopped there. Normally, it went far enough for him to see Jake embracing Nikki, both in bed together, to both of them cursing him to his face, sometimes that was even tame.

He sighed, flopping over to one side, exhaustion setting in more than it had been. Silent tears came leaking easily from both his eyes, and falling into his hood. His eyes were set forward but unfocused. He just stared, his eyes staring past everything ahead of him, knowing he probably looked pathetic laying there on Jeff's expensive couch crying like a high school girl who'd just gotten dumped by the high school's quarterback.

Matt came out, looking down at Evan's body. "You sure you want to go for a walk?" he asked, walking over and resting his hand on the covered shoulder.

Evan nodded, sitting up and wiping the tears away with the sleeves of his hoodie. "Yeah, let's go," he whispered, getting up from the couch and heading towards the door. He slipped his shoes on and opened the door, waiting for Matt to follow.

Matt was behind him, walking down the road leading away from Jeff's house with Evan just seconds later. "Are you okay Evan?" he asked, looking over at the other man, Evan's eyes focused far off but looking towards the ground. "I mean past the whole thing with Jake…. Are you going to be okay?"

Evan nodded. "Eventually." He sighed, looking towards the sky before looking around at the trees. He was so tired… He felt dizzy for a moment. It was then suddenly felt it, the exhaustion setting in, making him trip over his feet and fall to the ground face landing in the dirt, his arms useless to stop him.

Matt stopped, bending down to check on the smaller man. "Evan!" he whimpered, pulling the smaller man into his arms. "Evan," he whispered, looking down into the drooping eyes, the dark circles looking almost blackish purple under the dark brown eyes.

Evan shook his head, his sight completely unfocused. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't focus them and he felt weak and tired. "I can barely see… Matt…"

Matt lifted Evan into his arms like a child, letting Evan's head rest against his shoulder. "Rest Evan. I'll take you back," he said, pressing a gentle kiss to Evan's warmed forehead. "You have a fever."

Evan drifted off into a restless sleep, his mouth moving over silent words of protest.

Matt carried Evan back quickly and as gently as he could, so he didn't wake him. He had a hard time opening Jeff's door but as soon as Evan was up in his bed, Matt smiled in defeat. He smoothed back the brown hair of the other man, his own dark eyes looking over Evan with worry. "Please sleep good."

Evan cracked an eye open, his arm reaching for Matt. "Please…" he whispered softly, "stay with me." His grip was pathetically weak.

Matt flipped his shoes off and took Evan's off before laying next to the other man on the double bed. "I won't get up I promise," he murmured, pulling Evan into his arms.

For the first time in a long time, Evan felt comfortable enough or just tired enough to sleep without nightmares or even a second thought of Jake.

Matt laid there with Evan for at least an hour and a half before taking the chance of getting off of the bed. By this time Evan had rolled to his other side out of Matt's arms and was sleeping peacefully curled up with the blankets drawn tightly around him. Once free he looked down at his sleeping angel before sighing and walking away. He stopped when he ran right into his brother.

"You look as bad as Evan does," Jeff said, leading the bigger man down the stairs to the living room. "Are you sure this was a good idea?"

Matt shrugged. "He was pretty much saying he wanted to kill himself Jeff! What else was I going to do?" he asked, thinking about what Jeff had said. "I'm not going to let Evan say shit like that without-"

Jeff pressed a hand to Matt's mouth. "I didn't mean that Matt. I meant you being here with him, both of you are miserable, both for different reasons," he explained, plopping down on his couch and drawing his knees up to his chest, his sketch book in his lap. "I don't like either of you being depressed, especially you."

Matt smiled softly. "I know Jeff," he sighed, ruffling Jeff's short hair. "He's finally asleep now though."

Jeff sighed. He knew Matt wasn't really listening to him. It almost didn't matter what he said at that point, at least if it had to deal with Evan. "Sometimes I wish you didn't love him so much," he grumbled, getting up and walking away.

"Why would you say that Jeff?" Matt asked, grabbing Jeff by his upper arm. He didn't understand where Jeff was going with this.

Jeff yanked away. "Ever since you two broke up, everything you've done in someway was to get Evan's attention! All you he does anymore is make you miserable, and that's not just his fault. You won't let him go and all you're doing is hurting yourself! I hate it Matt! I'm tired of being here to pick up all the god damned pieces of your heart when it gets broken!"

Matt was silent, letting the words sink in. He sighed, walking away from his brother. He knew part if not most of what Jeff was saying was true. Jeff did pick up his pieces and ever since he'd seen Evan after their break up Matt was miserable. Sadly, he almost didn't care how miserable he was, as long as Evan was better.

Jeff sighed, watching as Matt left completely. "I never meant it that way Matt… I'm just tired of this useless depression…"

* * *

Mike was sitting at the table across from Nick, both of them idly chatting. "So, Jake's back with Nikki then?" he asked, sipping at his coffee.

Nick shook his head. "Not yet, he's been with her most of the time, but he's been telling her that he doesn't want to be with her. I don't know what Bourne has over Jake's head, but Nikki isn't going to give up. She loves him for some reason," he explained, leaning back in his chair. "I just know that Jake hasn't talked to anyone but her, I think out of guilt."

Mike nodded. His plan was going perfectly. While he didn't really want Evan, he did have to play the cards right to get what he wanted. If that meant hurting Jake or Evan or even Vince McMahon himself, so be it.

"You think they'll get back together? I don't really care, but Brie has been driving me up the wall about it. She wants to kill that kid, seriously."

Mike merely shrugged. He didn't know, nor did he care.

"I mean you two are dating… aren't you?"

Mike started to laugh. "Listen Nick, Evan was a fuck buddy, just a good reliable fuck, that was it. Whether any one else knows it or not, that's all we are and ever will be."

Nick nodded, looking down at his own coffee. "I should get back to Brie, she's not doing well on her own."

* * *

Evan was sitting outside under a tree, his eyes focused on the blue sky. He'd heard Jeff when him and Matt had pretty much talked. He couldn't blame Jeff for what he'd said or how he felt, he would have felt the same way if it were his brother. He sighed, wondering why he'd listened to Matt and came back with them. He looked back to the ground, curling into himself, wrapping his arms around his knees. He'd snuck out of Jeff's house. He just needed to be alone.

"You're awake," Matt whispered, walking up to the smaller man with a frown.

Evan nodded. "We need to talk," he said, standing up quickly. "I'm sorry Matt. I can't be here anymore. I heard Jeff and what he'd said and I have to agree with him. I'm only hurting you. I'm making your life miserable because I can't even get a hold of Jake. I'm just putting all my problems on you and I'm sorry." He breathed in the tears he hoped wouldn't come, filling his eyes. "I'm just sorry Matt… I don't deserve someone like you!"

Matt sighed, pulling Evan into a hug. "Listen, no matter what it does to me, I'm always going to make sure you're okay Evan. I've told you before. I love you, and I'm never going to stop. I know that we aren't going to get back together and that doesn't bother me like it used to, but you are still one of my best friends and just like every time before, I'm going to be there for you. Jeff is worried about us both, but he doesn't understand what we're going through." He leaned in a kissed Evan on the lips. "I'm going to help you and Jake get back together, I know you love him, and you deserve to be happy."

Evan smiled softly, looking up into the caring dark eyes. "Thank you Matt."

Matt smiled back, his heart thumping hard in his chest. "You're welcome. I love you Ev."

"I love you too Matt." With that, Evan moved in for the kill and kissed Matt long and hard. "Until then, can I sleep with you?"

Matt chuckled, kissing Evan and replying with a yes.

* * *

Jake watched Brie paint Nikki's nails. He hadn't left Nikki's room at all since he'd heard she'd tried to off herself. He moved in, listening to Brie babble on about how Nick had gone out with Mike to lunch and that she was sure Evan wouldn't come around anymore. He really wanted to see the other man, since he'd pretty much ran out without him.

"Jake, don't you think this color is great for Nikki's skin?" Brie asked, showing the red color on Nikki's nails. "It just pops out, doesn't it?"

Jake nodded mindlessly, wondering how his boyfriend was doing. "I need to go back to the hotel sometime," he said, getting up and hoping to leave. "I have to get a few things."

"Please don't leave me Jake!" Nikki whined, reaching out and latching onto his arm. "That's why I'm here, I just want some time with you Jake. l love you."

Jake sighed, sitting back down and pressing a kiss to the woman's cheek. "Alright, I'll stay," he whispered, looking down at his feet. He needed to see Evan, at least ask him if he was doing okay.

* * *

(A/N): Well, I don't have a lot to say really, A lots going on with every one and it's not going well. But Jake and Evan reunite in the next chapter, if it's good or not is unknown… hee hee… anyway tell me what you think loves! Title is Friend or Foe by t.A.T.u.!

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust


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